Finding the Samurai
by HeartbrokenVeggieHearts
Summary: Years after the trio went their separate ways, Fuu passes away. Her daughter Min finds herself alone, with no purpose except to fulfill her mother's dying wish; Deliver two letters to her old traveling companions, a samurai with glasses named Jin, and a wild fighter from the Ryukyu Islands named Mugen. With such a difficult task and infinite distractions, will Min succeed?
1. Dumplings and Eel

**Hey Readers! Welcome to our collaborative fanfic featuring the daughter of your favorite tea-house worker!**

 **This story is brought to you by HeartbrokenCandyHearts and KindredVeggies.**

 **If you want to check out any of our indiviual works feel free!**

 **Posts may be sporadic as it's difficult enough to juggle writing with school and work, but imagine how much harder it is when you have to co-write a story with someone else who ALSO has school and a job? I know. Pretty damn difficult.**

 **Don't let this discourage you though! We both love Samurai Champloo and we promise to do it's dedicated fans justice.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Samurai Champloo :(**

Min shuffled down the dirt path leading to the tiny shop that housed her late mother. She slid the paper door open and rubbed her puffy, red eyes.

"Where are they?" She muttered to herself. She opened drawers and slammed them impatiently, shuffling through various knick knacks her mother had collected over the years.

"She said they were in here…" she growled, "The right corner of the shop." She looked to the corner of the room where a small table resided, "The right corner…." She strode forwards and knelt down, the smooth fabric of her dark brown kimono sliding under her knees. She pushed the table aside and shoved her small fingers in between two creaky floorboards.

"Of course she did," Min said to herself, a small smirk on her lips. Her mother was always like that, a woman who hid her emotions well and kept her past a secret. She pulled back with all her might, popping her elbow. "OW! DAMNIT!" She shook out her arm and glared at the floorboard. She sat back on her butt and crossed her legs, the light pink flowers across her kimono stretching horizontally.

After a minute of brainstorming, she finally pulled a small pink katana from her waist line and wedged it in between the boards, then leaned on it with all of her weight. The floorboard suddenly popped up, a few splinters of wood flying outwards. "YESSS!" She cheered, throwing her hands up in the air, exposing her pale forearms. She leaned over and peaked beneath the rickety wood, spotting a small wooden box. Min excitedly shoved her arm beneath the floor and felt the tips of her fingers graze the dusty surface. She grunted and wiggled her butt to shove her arm and shoulder further into the small slot, finally wrapping her fingers around the corner then pulling it little by little into her palm. Gripping the box, she wriggled backwards pulling the box to the surface.

The box was dark, about the size of her thigh, and had a small sunflower painted on the lid. Min slid her finger into the thin crevice and lifted the top, setting it back on its squeaky hinges. Inside were folded sheets of paper, yellow with age. "Mom, I will fulfill your wish." Min whispered to the box, closing the top and hugging it tightly to her chest, "I promise."

Min stood tall, a new fire burning in her eyes. She tucked the box beneath her arms and strutted out of the store, her wooden sandals tapping the floor like small hooves. The sun had already started to set, but Min was set on finding the samurai master her mother had spoken about in the last moments of her life.

Min sighed and slumped over as she walked, "I'm so hungry." She whined, her stomach growled in agreement. Her hand clenched her midsection as she stood up straight and looked around the small village she had called home since she was born. A store stood on the corner of a crossroads in the center of town, this was the dumpling shop she had usually frequented with her mother, who said it reminded her a lot of home. Min pushed the high set curtain aside and walked in, sitting down at a table on the floor. She fished around her pocket for all the money she had left' only two gold pieces. " _Shit_." She let out a sigh and put one gold piece in the box and left the other out for dinner.

An old woman plodded up to her table, "What is it you want?" She asked apathetically.

"One plate of dumplings and tea-."

"Okay." The old woman cut her off and shuffled to the back.

"Tsch." Min clicked her teeth, "Old hag." she hissed under her breath. She looked down at her gold piece then up at a boy that was about her age, sixteen, sitting at a table in the other corner of the restaurant, he glanced up from his tea and gave her a hard glare.

"What?" He snapped.

"What?" She retorted. She glared back at him, looking him up and down, "You have an issue?"

"No." He said quietly, sipping his tea and looking back down at his food, then ahead, avoiding eye contact.

'"Hmph…. Good." She sneered, as the old woman set down her food. She gave the woman the gold piece, "I'm expecting change back." She said.

"Yeah, yeah." The woman waved her off, heading to the back once again.

Silence engulfed the shop, Min munched on her dumplings and so did the boy. She glanced over and saw him staring at her, "STOP LOOKING AT ME!" Min exploded, standing up.

The boy's eyebrow twitched, "You're making a scene." he said calmly setting both his hands down on the table.

"Good!" She spat. "Now where's that old hag with my change?" she slinked towards the entrance to the back.

The boy stood up quickly then blocked her from entering, he put a hand on her forehead, "That's for employees only. Have respect." He said sternly.

"Respect this." Min snapped, swinging her leg up, kicking him where it hurts. The boy squeaked and fell to his knees, "Now, I'm gonna go get my money. _Watch_." She gave him a firm kick to the side, sending him flying into a table. She grinned and pushed the long curtain aside that led to the back.

A few minutes later she came out with three gold pieces, the boy stood tall at the exit, his sword unsheathed, "Woman, I am Ryuu Hachiro eighth son of the Ryuu Clan, apprentice at the most prestigious dojo in Japan, master swordsmen, aspiring samura-."

Min let out a loud yawn and walked calmly past him, "Whatever, Rio Hakito."

Hachiro's eyes widened, "H-Hey! Wait!"

Min took off into a sprint, "Later Habiko!"

"Hey! HEY! WOMAN!" He felt his cheeks turn red with anger and embarrassment as he saw his fellow villagers stare at him, he rarely spoke let alone yelled. _This woman… She turned me into someone I'm not… Calm down._ He thought, taking in a deep breath and sheathing his sword. He looked down the path with his deep brown eyes and began to walk away from the shop.

Min cackled as she sprinted down a wooded path, "Too easy! Underestimate me because I'm a woman, tsch. Try again!" She mused to herself. She skidded to a stop as a small traditional style building came into sight. There was a wrap around walkway riddled with bridges. Small streams and waterfalls intertwined below the bridges and platforms. Min slowly walked up the wooden stairs, her sandals clicking against the wood, echoing off the dark blue walls on the outside of the small building. She reached the sliding, paper door, a wooden sign hung neatly next to it, "Dojo." Min read out loud to herself. "Public domain." she said shrugging. She slid the door open with a loud _CLACK._

"So what brings you to my dojo?" The elderly man with glasses greeted, sipping at a steaming cup of tea. He gestured at the small mat across from him for Min to take a seat.

As she plopped down she immediately got to the point, "I'm looking for a samurai, supposedly he is one of the best masters in Japan, his name is Jin. Do you know him?" Min asked bluntly, not bothering with manners.

Something sparked in the old samurai's eye, "And where exactly did you hear a rumor like that? If you are looking for a master, you should know I refuse to teach women, it is a man's duty to fight, and a woman's to raise the children."

"Tsch," Min rolled her eyes, "so _you're_ the infamous Jin, she told me you would be like that."

He raised an eyebrow, "She?"

"My mother, Fuu."

Jin set down his teacup with a loud _clink_.

Min continued, "She said you were traditional up the ass and—"

"Where is she now?" He interrupted, ignoring the insult. He looked Min straight in the eye.

She wondered what kind of relationship her mother could have possibly have with a man like this. "Dead." She finally answered, sighing, "She's dead."

There was an awkward pause as Jin looked at the ceiling.

"Oh hello there!" A woman entered the room carrying a new pot of tea. "Who is this lovely little sunflower?" She asked, her eyes crinkling as she smiled in Min's direction.

Min sneered and Jin winced.

"I am going out to meditate," Jin stated, his voice suddenly much quieter than before, but still firm enough to indicate that he did not want to be followed. He left the room through the back door, sliding the paper screen shut behind him.

"Don't take it personally," the woman reassured Min, "sometimes he just gets grumpy."

Min made a move for the door but was quickly blocked. "I just finished making dinner, you should join me.

Understanding how stubborn a woman could be when protecting something, Min backed down and agreed to dinner with a small nod of her head.

"Perfect!" The woman clapped her hands, "Just sit anywhere you like, I'll be right back after I go fetch my son from his crib."

Min hesitantly looked around the kitchen, pausing by the portrait depicting a young woman stuffing her face with rice, countless empty bowls surrounded her. _She doesn't look ladylike at all, my kind of woman._ What she didn't notice was the girl's familiar pink kimono decorated with yellow flowers. Then the aroma of perfectly grilled eel hit her nose and Min's mouth began to water.

"I hope you like eel, it's my husband's favorite dish."

Min spun around, "You made this wonderful smell!?" Her eyes grew wide in appreciation of the woman's cooking skills.

"I will take that as a yes." The woman chuckled.

 _Wait a minute…_

"I'm sorry…Ma'am, but I don't think I ever learned your name. I'm Min." She bowed.

"Well it has been lovely to meet you Min, my name is Shino and this is my son Juyuu. Now that introductions are out of the way, let's eat." Shino sat her little boy in her lap and began to feed him small bites of white rice topped with an unidentifiable mush.

Min scrunched her nose slightly at the color; _it's probably something specifically for babies, I shouldn't make a big deal out of it, after all Shino is being kind enough to feed me._

The dinner started off as slightly awkward, with neither of the participants, besides Juyuu making much of any noise. Desperate to get her mind off of Jin and his strange behavior, Min created and kept the conversation going with small talk. Despite trying to concentrate on what a good meal Shino had prepared, as well as appearing interested in Shino's stories from the old days, Min kept focusing on when she would be able to speak with Jin. By the time Min had managed to get Jin off of her mind, she realized she had already four bowls of eel and rice.

"Shino-san," Min began, crafting an idea in her head, "You said this was your husband's favorite meal right?"

"That's right; we actually met at an eel stand, so it's a sentimental meal…" Shino drifted off, no doubt reliving her memories. Taking advantage of her host's momentary distraction, Min offered to take Jin a bowl before it grew cold. "Of course dear, thank you for being so considerate" Shino excused her from the table, still caught up in her nostalgia.

Min grabbed a bowl, sloppily filled it with rice, and headed out of the same door Jin left an hour earlier. Searching the small garden for Jin's dark blue kimono, Min stumbled upon a stone path. She followed the winding stones until she reached a tree a few yards back from the top of the hill where Jin sat, meditating as he faced the ocean below a sharp, and sudden drop off.

"You look so much like your mother, yet you act so much like your father." He sighed, making Min jump with his sudden declaration.

She stepped forward, sitting next to him and roughly thrusting the bowl into his lap along with a pair of chopsticks, not offering any explanation. "You knew my father?"

"I did," he admitted, "although it has been a lifetime since I saw either of them. We were once traveling companions."

"Traveling companions?" Min asked, intrigued by the notion that her mother and father had once been close enough with Jin for him to accompany them on a journey.

"It started in a small tea shop," he began, "that was actually the first time any of us had met. Your mother Fuu was a waitress back in those days, and your father and I happened upon the same location by pure coincidence. I don't know exactly what happened between your parents before I arrived, but by that point your father had already beaten up several samurai and was looking to fight the local yakuza."

"Then where do you come in?" Min interrupted.

"He fought me instead." Jin said simply.

"But why?"

"Because he couldn't have fought the yakuza then, I had already killed them all."

Min went silent, finally realizing the extent of Jin's skill. "Then what happened? If you were trying to kill each other, then how in the world did you end up traveling together?"

"Well in our scuffle we ended up burning down the tea house and getting imprisoned by the governor, the same governor whose son your father beat up, and the same governor who yakuza I had killed."

"You two beat up the governor's son and killed his best samurai in a single afternoon?"

Jin continued this time, ignoring Min's comment. "Your mother ended up helping us escape before we could be executed, and that's when she made us a bet, a bet that would change all of our lives."

Min raised her eyebrow, skeptical of his severity, "What kind of bet could be that drastic?"

"Because she helped us escape, she felt she deserved something in return. Fuu told us that if she flipped a coin and it landed heads up then she would leave us alone to kill each other in battle, but if it landed on tails, then we would be her bodyguards as long as she was searching for the samurai who smells of sunflowers."

Min gasped, "You are one of _the_ bodyguards?! She told me that story countless times, I can't believe you were really one of the men that went with her." Min sat in shock. _My mother always spoke so highly of her bodyguards, calling them the most precious friends she had ever met._

She pulled out a letter from inside her kimono, looking at the name written on the front in her mom's delicate handwriting. She took a deep breath and gazed at the waves crashing into the rocks, clutching the thick envelope one last time before holding it out to Jin. He slowly reached out and took it from her shaking fingers, opening it with one swift motion. The ocean continued to flow back and forth, sending a salty spray into the air.

Jin's eyebrows furrowed, and then raised; his emotions showing clearly on his face for the first time in years. He removed another smaller envelope, setting it aside as he finished reading Fuu's letter.

Reaching up a taking Min's hand he finally spoke, "Take this envelope," He insisted, placing the paper in Min's hand. "Mugen lives over the mountains by the sea, you must travel and deliver this to him."

"Mugen? Whose Mugen?" Min asked, intrigued by the name written on the second letter

"A friend of your mother's," Jin explained, "someone very close to her, hence it is extremely important that you deliver this."

Min felt taken aback, she thought her journey ended when she entered this dojo, but apparently not. "Well where am I supposed to find this Mugen? Why do I have to deliver this anyway? I don't even know the guy!"

Jin pursed his lips, "Do it for your mother."

Min's protests fell silent. _For my mother, I'd do anything for you, mom..._

"Fine, I'll do it," she relented, pocketing the letter, "But you still haven't told me where I am supposed to find him."

"Over the mountains there is a small fishing village, there you will find an blind woman named Sarah. She will direct you the rest of the way."

"A blind woman? Really?"

Min's sarcasm fell on deaf ears, "Come on," beckoned Jin, motioning for her to stand. "Before you go, I have an idea."

Hachiro pushed himself off the tree he was leaning against, beginning to make his way up the steep incline.

Jin put his hand on his knees and slowly stood, his joints cracking with age. "Hachiro." He said, not even sparing a glance towards his pupil.

Hachiro stopped and bowed, "Master, I-."

"Was eavesdropping." Jin finished. He turned and put his arms behind his body, the long sleeves of his kimono draping to the ground. "Tell me, are you interested in this story enough to do me a favor? Like accompanying this young woman on during her travels?"

Hachiro looked up, surprised, "Master… Of course! Anything." He said standing up quickly, his head still bowed. He was a young man, about nineteen years old, who had been training with Jin since he was a young boy; Jin was his idol. Hachiro always did his best to please his master and, ultimately, to become his master.

Min stood up and crossed her arms across her chest, "Oh what a noble samurai." She mocked, her grin revealing a chipped bottom tooth.

Hachiro felt his body go rigid, realizing Min's identity for the first time, his head snapped up, "Y-You." He stammered. "Master, this girl is a thief, an inappropriate, improper woman. You can't expect me to soil my reputation accompanying such a-a-..."

"A _what_?" Jin asked, taking a step forwards, gripping the hilt of his sword.

Hachiro flinched, "M-Master…" He dropped to one knee.

Min stepped forward and put her hands on her hips, "Back off, I don't need some guy protecting my honor or some foolishness like that." She said looking between Hachiro's face of shock and Jin's resting face of disapproval.

Jin slid his hand off on the hilt and let it fall to his side, "Very well, then." A small smirk spread across his lips, "You really are a lot like _him_." A sigh escaped his lungs before he nodded to the both of them, "I expect you both to depart tomorrow morning. Good luck on your journey, I hope you find him without difficulty." He bowed to Min, who awkwardly bowed back.

Hachiro's jaw dropped, _Master bowing to a vagabond like_ _ **her**_ _? What the hell?_ He thought, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.

Min walked past Hachiro, setting her hand under his chin, closing his mouth for him, "See you tomorrow morning, _partner_." She said, the last word stinging like a slap to the face.

Hachiro stood on the cliff by himself, looking over the village into the sky, "Why me?" He complained, rubbing his temples before turning his back and making his way to the dojo.

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	2. Rags and Riches

**This story is brought to you by HeartbrokenCandyHearts and KindredVeggies.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Samurai Champloo :(**

The two walked down the road on opposite sides, Min had a small bag that hung across her body, all that was inside was the box and the three gold pieces she had snagged from the day before. "So before we go too far on this journey let's do a cash count."

"Cash count?" Hachiro asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I've got four gold pieces. So we should be okay for a while, how about you?" She asked, fishing the four pieces out of her bag, flashing them then quickly putting them back in.

Hachiro didn't even bother looking over at her, "I have no money."

Min stopped suddenly and stuck her head out narrowing her eyes, "What? You have NO money? Are you shitting me?!" She clenched her fists, "God, now you're just extra baggage I have to take care of."

Hachiro let out a huff of laughter, "Take care of _me_? That's not a woman's job."

Min smiled and stopped abruptly, putting her hands behind her back, giggling, "You know what… You're right!"

Hachiro stopped and looked back at her, "Really?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah! I guess I was just being stubborn." She said shrugging, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

Hachiro blushed a little in return, "Okay, well, let me protect you." he said nodding to her. They continued to walk ahead. Soon they had broken free of their home village and into a wide expanse of tall grass fields.

"Beautiful area isn't it?" He said, giving her a sweet smile. Min nodded, her light brown eyes squinting slightly. "I think we'll really get along if-." He suddenly felt a tight sensation around his throat, his eyes widened as he reached for his sword, but he ended up grabbing the hand that already beat him to the hilt. He flailed around, trying to grab his attacker.

Min flung Hachiro's sword deep into the the field's tall grass. She quickly swept his legs and slammed him into the ground. She easily flipped him over as if he were a rag doll then grabbed him by his arms placing a foot firmly on the center of his back and pulling his arms back, making him let out a squeal.

"Don't ever tell me where my place is ever again! EVER! You hear me, idiot?!" She roared.

Hachiro gritted his teeth, his face bright red, "I-I hate you." he muttered. "I hate you so much."

"WHAT?!" she yelled, jerking Hachiro's arms back a little farther.

Hachiro let out a cry, "Okay! Okay! Get off! I'm sorry!"

Min stepped off of him and shoved his arms down to the ground, "Know _your_ place." She spat.

Hachiro stood up on wobbly legs and slinked over to his sword that stuck straight out of the ground. He pulled it out and wiped the dirt off the blade looking over as the short girl stalked away down the path. The bottom of her kimono was torn and her wooden sandals were chipped and splintering. Her light brown hair was braided in a thick line down her back, small curls and frizzes sticking out, becoming more frequent towards the bottom where it was tied tightly by a small brown ribbon.

Min pulled out the pins on the side of her head, letting her hair fall into her face, she twisted the hair back up and made an 'X' with the pins. Her step size became smaller and her cheeks cooled down, her rage beginning to pass. She could feel Hachiro's presence behind her, his swaying figure practically radiating shame. Soon, their tired bodies made it to a large village, the houses were monstrous and gaudy, each one stories tall with traditional curved roofs. Min frowned and looked back at Hachiro who seemed to be thinking the same thing she was.

"This place is going to be way too expensive." Min said.

Hachiro sighed and shrugged, "It doesn't hurt to check." He said, gesturing with his hands towards a large inn down the street.

"It hurts to lose daylight. We need to find someplace to sleep." Min mumbled, stopping and crossing her arms.

Hachiro kept his distance from her, "Then I'll find one myself."

Min burst with laughter, "And then what?! I have all the money. You think you're just going to samurai chop your way into some hotel here?"

Hachiro's face boiled, he turned around and stormed off, "Just stay here, I'll go find it myself." He grumbled. He slinked down the cobblestone path, a strange sight for a Japanese village. He looked into the window of an Inn and walked inside.

Min wandered down the empty streets, an ominous wind whipped past her making her shiver; winter was coming soon and at night it was obvious. "Jeeze, _baka_ , hurry up." She grumbled to herself. As she shivered she felt like she was being watched, she looked over to a window in one of the large houses. The house was painted a deep red, the large, paper door guarded by two clay samurai. A small, old man gazed out the window from the second floor and quickly closed the paper blinds as soon as he was discovered. "The hell..?" she wondered to herself. She felt a hand on her shoulder, making her jump and karate chop the phantom's wrist. "I see you!" She yelled, stopping and letting out a sigh, "So I was right, hm?"

Hachiro put his hand on the back of his neck, "Yeah, I suppose. We have enough money for a night…"

Min's eyebrows lifted with interest.

"The price is three gold pieces."

Min's eyebrows dropped as she furrowed her brow, "Screw that. Let's go." She clopped away, her fists clenched. "Three gold pieces, what do they have in there that's worth three gold pieces, baths in pure poppy oil? Tsch, bullshit." she muttered to herself under her breath as she shook her head.

Hachiro began to follow, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his sword; the village was completely silent. _This place isn't right._ He thought to himself. The pair wandered into a thick wood, where the ground was flat and the trees tall. There was a half moon, providing silver light through the fat branches.

Min dropped her bag by a thick tree and laid down by its base. "Goodnight." She said, her body draped over a thick root.

Hachiro raised an eyebrow, "Uhh, should we not build a shelter or fire?" He loosened the grip on his sword, letting his hand slide off down to his side.

Min sat up and began to unwrap her kimono, " _You_ can. _You_ can do whatever _you_ want. I'm going to sleep, I'm too cold to be awake." She began to pull her kimono off, Hachiro shielded his eyes and sighed, setting his sword down beside a tree then laying down. Min rolled herself up into a little burrito, her back facing Hachiro.

Hachiro looked at the stars through the trees, what was so special about this girl that master would put him on such a useless mission? He scanned the area, propping himself up on his elbows, though the village was about a mile away, he still felt an uneasiness surrounding him. _It's probably just nerves, this is my first time out of the village without Master._ He thought to himself. These repeating thoughts in his head gave him some peace of mind before he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Finally, Hachiro's breath became deeper and slower, making Min grin. She sat up, her kimono sliding off. She crawled over to Hachiro, her breasts and hips tightly wound in cloth wraps. She stalked around his sleeping body, inspecting his sword. _Nothing suspicious,_ She concluded. She began to crawl back to her spot before spotting a small velvet pouch peeking out from behind his kimono over his chest. Her eyes sparkled with intrigue, she crept towards him and lowered herself over his body. She slowly reached a shaky hand to his chest, gripping the top of the pouch with her fingers. Her eyes glanced over, Hachiro's eyes were closed, she looked back to her hand and began to drag to small bag out of his top, it emerged flawlessly. Min let out a small giggle, shoving her fingers in between the drawstrings. She felt a hand grip her wrist, "Min." Hachiro growled. Min smirked mischievously and scuttled away pulling the bag open, "No! Min!" Min let out a loud cackle as she violently tore it open.

Her playful attitude completely dropped as she saw the contents of the bag, "You…" She flipped the bag over, sending the copious amounts of gold pieces clattering to the ground. " _YOU_." She chucked the bag forwards into his eyes, springing up towards him, kicking him straight in the gut, sending him stumbling back. He hit a tree and let out a cough, sliding down to his butt. "LIAR LIAR LIAR!" She sprinted towards him, her fist locking with his cheek.

Hachiro saw stars, standing up and leaning against the tree, "I… Can explain…" He choked out. "Wait."

Min clenched her throbbing fist, "Shut up!"

Hachiro felt another fist give a hard blow to his head then his vision went black.

Hachiro's head ached and eyes burned, his head felt like it was going to float away into the stratosphere. His body shifted on the ground as he reached to find something to help him support his weight. Gripping a tree, he sat up holding his forehead.

"What happened?" he grumbled. His eyes began to focus on a figure sitting against a tree.

Min sat, chewing on a fresh piece of fruit, "Good morning, you fraud." She said holding up the pouch, jingling to coins within. "I thought you didn't have any money, that's why we were sleeping in the middle of nowhere, freezing to death!"

Hachiro rubbed his temples and sighed, "Once again, you were so brash not to realize that I have an explanation." He looked over to her, his eyes filled with hatred, "I was given this money by Jin." Min raised an eyebrow, obviously not impressed.

"He gave me the money because once we travel all the way to this to 'Mugen' guy's house, he might need some _persuasion_ to even listen to what we have to say." Hachiro smiled triumphantly, "So, do you see why I couldn't give you the money? I have my reasons." He said shrugging smugly, obviously proud of himself.

Min threw the pit of the fruit at him, nailing him right in the middle of his forehead, "Listen, dumbass. You shouldn't have lied to me in the first place. Do you really feel the need to keep even the smallest shit from me? If you had just told me you had money but we couldn't use it, I wouldn't have gotten mad last night. So, really you're the one in the wrong, so maybe your reasons are stupid." She scratched her chest then stood up with a yawn, her brown kimono covered in dust. "Well! Let's get going..." She exclaimed with a smirk. "...Hachi."

Hachiro's eye twitched with irritation, "Where's all my money now?" He asked, ignoring her stupid nickname.

Min shrugged and began walking towards the path that lead to the village, "I dunno." Her sandals shuffled against the dirt path where Hachiro closely followed her.

"Woman," He quickened his steps to approach her side, "Where is the money?"

Min shrugged again, "Aren't samurais not supposed to care about that kind of stuff or something like that? You sure are a bad samurai."

Hachiro felt his cheeks heat up, his face glowed crimson, "You don't know what kind of samurai I am!" He shook with anger, sometimes he even asked himself the same question. He had never been a truly noble samurai, his attitude was not cool, he was far too skittish. Shaking off these thoughts, he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"How about I show you?" He said seriously, his demeanor resembling Jin's, "Once I do, then you'll show me where the money is."

Min stopped, her eyes sparkling with interest, "Hmmm, sounds like a deal. Though, I don't know where your money is." She said with a wink, "Come on big man, you have first strike. Or are samurais above beating women?"

The sword slid out out of its hilt, the blade sparkling in the orange sunrise.

"You're no woman." Hachiro said. Min's silhouetted figure shook as she let out a cackle. Hachiro lunged forward, his blade reaching Min's side in the blink of an eye.

"Whoop!" Min exclaimed, easily dodging the amateur attack, "Tsch." She clicked with her tongue. She jumped off of the hilt of his sword, gliding over him. She hit the ground and spun around, sweeping Hachiro's legs out from beneath him. He caught himself with a hand and flipped backwards away from the girl.

He glared at her, his deep brown eyes glancing left to right, looking for an attack plan. Before he could make a decision, Min's wooden sandal was already lodged into his gut, sending him flying back into a tree. He swung his sword out, then lunged forwards once again. Min twirled past his blade like a ballerina and leaped up into the air, kicking down onto his shoulder and launching herself off to a safe distance.

Hachiro let out a grunt as he gripped his shoulder, _She's fast, but most of her skills seem to be leg oriented._ He analyzed. Before he could finish thinking, he heard Min's rapid footsteps approaching, but from where? He had zoned out, _Such a severe mistake._ He scolded. He whipped his head around looking for the girl, his shoulder throbbed and his stomach clenched with pain. He felt her body drop down directly behind him, he swung behind him, his sword promptly lodging itself into a tree. He tried to wiggle it out but failed, Min kicked his arm away and shoved him back with a solid shove from her other foot, which Hachiro gripped tightly. He pulled her by her ankle, flinging her into a tree.

Min felt the air leave her lungs, letting out a wheeze, she grabbed Hachiro's kimono and pulled him forwards, swinging with her other arm. She had much more arm strength than Hachiro had anticipated. He released her leg and caught her fist, they stood locked for a second before backing away from each other, panting.

"You're fighting is too sporadic. You're really a pain to fight." Hachiro said, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple.

Min raised an eyebrow, "Tsch, you're so boring, so traditional." She cracked her knuckles in her hand, "Come on, catch me with that blade." She said, glancing over to the sword, still resting in the tree.

"Gladly." Hachiro used all his might and pulled his sword out from the tree. He stumbled forwards clumsily and caught himself by sticking the ground with his sword. He was still off balance from the day before where he had been sneak attacked by Min, yet even in an anticipated fight he was having difficulty even getting a hit on her. "You're fast." He said, already tired.

Min looked at him unamused, "Of course I am, I've been fighting my whole life."

"As have I." He said, he straightened up from his position hunched over his sword. He wondered why she had to fight her whole life, his reason was fairly obvious in his opinion. He was the eighth son, he had to prove his worth and honor to his father. Hachiro pulled his sword out of the ground, "Let's continu-."

Suddenly, glass shattering and screams could be heard from within the village.

"The hell?" Min uttered, she hadn't even noticed how close their fight had brought them to the village from the day before.

A scream for help could be heard faintly from within the village's maze of mansions, "Sounds like something bad's happening…" Hachiro said, trailing off towards the end.

"You're right, we should go around the village. It'll take us a little bit longer, but I think it'll be worth it- HEY! HEY! GET BACK HERE! HACHIRO!" Min's eyebrow twitched with irritation, "Tsch." The samurai had already taken off into the village, his sound of his wooden sandals fading off into the distance.

"Fine then." She grumbled, lazily making her way to the village's streets, " _Baka_."

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	3. Right Hooks and Booze

**This story is brought to you by HeartbrokenCandyHearts and KindredVeggies.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Samurai Champloo :(**

Large houses and elegant shops whizzed by Hachiro as he sprinted down the cobblestone streets. The sound of panic and clattering objects came closer and became more detailed. He turned right then skidded to a stop.

" _Shit_!" He spat under his breath before scuttling back behind a wall. He peaked out at the scene that unfolded. A burly man stood tall over two shopkeepers who held brooms in self-defense.

"We told you we can't help you here! Our governor won't allow it!" Said the old woman, in a shaky voice. A younger girl stood next to her, her body was thin and she wore an expensive, blue kimono adorned with a silken ribbon around her waist. Her face was gentle and pale, her jaw curving romantically all the way to her ear. Hachiro was stunned at the girl's beauty, a fantastic change from the vagabond he had been traveling with for the past day and a half. He was taken aback by the shine of her jet black hair, the way it was twisted up to the back of her head so simply. He was snapped out of it as the younger girl stepped forwards.

"Please, sir," She begged, gripping her broom a little bit tighter, her knuckles turning white, "If we let you in, our governor will have us shunned or sent to a brothel!" Even the thought of a beautiful, gentle girl like her in a brothel sent chill up Hachiro's spine. The large man took a step forwards, grabbing the girls broom in one swift motion, making her cry out in fear.

The man broke the broom between his giant hands then tossed it aside, "I need food! I hunger!" He roared, his speech choppy with a thick accent. Hachiro saw begin to make his way toward the girl.

Hachiro leaped forwards from behind the wall and ran up behind the man, making a good cut across his back. He leaped away from the shop and whipped the blood off of his sword as the man screamed and fell to his knees in agony.

"You should never treat a woman in that way." He said, monotone, just like his master. His tan skin glistened with sweat in the morning sun, he wiped his forehead and stood tall. "I overestimated you, I took took you for a large monster, but you're just a fat oaf." He said coldly.

He looked over at the women, "Are you alright?" They both nodded.

"Quickly head inside. I'll finish this issue." He said heroically, he gripped his sword and looked at the man, who trembled on the ground. "I am Ryuu Hachiro, eight son of the Ryuu Cla-."

"Please, I no bad." The man said, standing up, "I-."

Hachiro sighed with irritation, "It is ill-mannered to cut a samurai off during his introduction." He glared at the man, "What is your name?"

"White. Quincey White."

Hachiro scoffed, "So you _are_ European, I figured as much due to your light hair and light colored eyes, and your…. size." Hachiro stepped out into his fighting stance and gripped his sword, "I am a man of tradition, so I will end you now for passing into forbidden land."

Quincey narrowed his eyes and stood up straight, the cut in his back seeming to stop hurting. "Come." He motioned with his hand.

Hachiro took off towards the beast, slicing the air with his sword as a distraction before jabbing forwards. The sword grazed the side of the man, making him grunt before he reeled his fist back and punched Hachiro straight in the jaw sending him stumbling back. Pain shot through his face, making him grimace. The man's fighting style was straight forwards, no gimmicks or agility, just brute force.

 _He fights like Min,_ he thought to himself, holding his throbbing jaw in his free hand, Though, my traditional style will outsmart him, _I just have to stay agile._ He sprinted forwards again, right into the man's swinging fist, he quickly ducked and slid beneath the giant, slicing his calf.

Quincey shouted and stumbled back, gripping his bleeding leg before smiling at Hachiro, "You fast, but I strong." He growled, his crooked grin spreading across his face.

Hachiro's stomach churned, _This man keeps getting hurt, yet he smiles. What the hell is wrong with him?_ Quincey held his fists up over his face and bounced side to side. Hachiro sprinted forwards, bracing himself, he played the same card, swinging then jabbing with his sword.

Quincey dodged this time, jabbing Hachiro with his fist, then throwing a hook. The hook caught the side of Hachiro's head, confusing him for a second before he slashed down on the man's arm. The man swung his arm back in shock before using his other hand to throw a powerful uppercut into Hachiro's stomach, sending him soaring down the street.

He tasted the disgusting twinge of copper on his tongue. He sat up and clenched his stomach, closing one eye his face twisted with pain. Hachiro stood up, gripping his sword a little weaker than before. He glared at his legs for wobbling and hated his arms for shaking. He ground his teeth together before running forwards again, the man he was fighting seemed indestructible, his arms blocked all of Hachiro's moves, and when he was cut, it was as if he felt nothing.

Quincey stalked forwards throwing rapid punches, Hachiro was caught off guard. He began dodging, not able to keep up, punch after punch landed on his face, shoulder, and stomach. He attempted to throw a punch, his fist jolting with pain as it hit Quincey's solid abdomen. Quincey quickly destroyed any glimmer of hope for Hachiro as he threw a punch with all of his might straight into his chest, Hachiro felt something crack and he was flung back into a cart of porcelain masks, the street filled with the loud crash of breaking masks and the clatter of Hachiro's sword bouncing away from him. He flipped off of the cart onto the ground, now littered with shards of porcelain and blood from his nose. He propped himself up on his hands and knees, coughing up blood into his mouth.

Footsteps approached him, crunching the debris on the cobblestone. He looked behind him and narrowed his eyes before being kicked, flying across the road as if he weighed nothing. He skidded on his back letting out a groan, his lungs screamed for air as blood ran down the back of his throat. He let out a small laugh, _Being beaten by a man with no honor. What a failure I am…_

The footsteps approached him again, but were interrupted, "YO, FATASS!" A familiar voice rang into the air. "You like to box?" she asked, standing tall, crossing her arms.

Quincey looked at the girl and grinned, "Yes. Boxing I like."

"Then it's boxing you'll get."

Hachiro used the small bit of strength left in him and sat up, looking at the girl. His eyes rolled as he saw the familiar female.

"Min…" He grumbled, he had wished for anybody but her to help him.

"What's your name, dummy?" She asked the man.

"Quincey. You?"

Min stood and crossed her arms over her chest, pondering, "Nezumi (Rat)."

Quincey was taken back, "Nezumi. Pretty name." He said, smiling.

Min looked over at Hachiro who glared at her with disapproval and snickered, content with the joke she had played on the foreigner. "Well, Quincey. I'm going to fight you now, because who wants to box a loser samurai who doesn't know the rules of the game? Plus, he was getting creamed pretty badly, so I might as well step in." She shrugged and looked back at Quincey,

"Let's play." She put her arms up over her face as Quincey walked over and did the same. He towered at least a foot and a half over her. He began to throw rapid punched, the two did a dance of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts, jumping and shifting left and right. Min had to reach up a considerable amount to hit the man's face, while he had to swing uncomfortably low.

After a few minutes of getting nowhere, they took a few steps away from each other.

"Screw this…" Min growled. She ran at the wall of the shop that had just been ransacked by the large monster. Her foot caught the wall and she sprinted upwards, springing herself off of it spinning her leg straight into the brute's face.

Quincey stumbled back and skidded onto his butt, his head finally on level with Min, she began to throw fast, hard punches, each one catching their spot right on point. She reeled her arm all the way back, as far as her fatigued muscles would allow and crushed a punch right into the man's temple. sending him collapsing onto the ground unconscious. Min stepped back and looked over towards Hachiro.

"You're so sad." She scolded. The two females from the shop came outside, looking wearily at the unconscious lump on the ground.

Hachiro sat up, pain wracking his body. On weak legs, he shuffled over to get his sword, picking it up, it felt much heavier than before. He slid it into its sheath, _Am I really this weak?_ He thought to himself. His knees hit the ground, shame flooding through his veins. _Embarrassment is the worst emotion; I have done all I can to keep it away from me but I still feel so foolish._ He felt an arm wrap around his torso, the young girl from before knelt next to him.

"Come in, samurai. You fought hard, let us help." Her voice came out so smooth, it engulfed him in a feeling of warmth.

"Yes. Thank you." He stood, not needing her help to walk, but the feeling of her arm around him was too much to pass up. She lead him inside of their shop and sat him down at a small table in the back where Min sat, sipping tea.

"I will get you some tea as well, please rest." She said before rushing behind long curtains into the back.

Min sipped her tea and looked across the table at him, her eyebrow raised in an expression of amusement. "You sure did great out there, champ." She commented before setting down her tea. Her eyes stared at the cup, the small flecks of leaves swirling around in continuous circle.

Hachiro stared emotionlessly at her, obviously un-amused at her comment, "I shouldn't have lost. I shouldn't have been saved by someone like _you_." He said bitterly.

She picked her cup up to take another sip, her eyes locked onto Hachiro's, despite his resentful glare. She set her cup down, silencing the shop. Min shifted in her seat.

"I don't know who you think I am, or if you are just being weak because you don't want to be here, but this mission is not a fucking joke. Don't treat me or our situation like something to take lightly. My mother lived her whole life holding onto these envelopes. She spent her whole life knowing her two best friends were out there, knowing that this would be her final communication. This is the last thing left of my mother, these are her final words." Min pulled out the small sunflower box and slammed it on the table. She gripped it with her hand and pushed herself up, leaning over the table, glaring deeply into Hachiro's eyes, their faces only centimeters apart, her gold eyes piercing into his soul.

"So stop being so fucking weak and step up. I'm done carrying baggage. Next time we fight, I refuse to come save your sorry ass. I'm not dying for your sake." She stared into his eyes for a few long moments before pulling the box off the table and shoving it back into her bag. "When you're ready to stop feeling sorry for yourself, I'll be waiting at the west entrance of the village." She walked out of the shop, her hips always had an exaggerated sway to them, her body was always a little too relaxed, her walk was the opposite of elegant.

The girl came back in, carrying a tray of dumplings and tea. She set them down and, glanced over at the empty seat then shyly back to Hachiro, whose eye had begun to swell and nose turn a shade of purple. "Where is your friend?" She asked, taking a cold cloth out of a bucket of water sitting the corner.

The rag stung on Hachiro's eye, "She is not my friend." He said coldly.

The girl frowned, "Oh, well she sure did a friendly thing for you." She said softly, "Hold this to your eye." She directed. "Why would she do such a thing if she didn't think of you as a friend?"

Hachiro narrowed his eyes, "For her own self-gain. Her confidence. Just another thing to rub in my face. She loves to make me feel like a dumbass, when she is the one who's never read a book."

"Maybe you are one. A dumbass." The girl said playfully. Hachiro stared at her, not understanding the joke. "I mean, you jumped in and fought a guy who you were surely not going to win against. That is very brave, but to be brave you must be a little bit stupid. Maybe that's why you think that girl is so dumb… Because she is _too_ brave."

Hachiro pursed his lips and shook his head, a small smile on his mouth, "Or she is just plain idiotic."

The girl giggled and shrugged, "Possibly. I don't know either of you. My name is Hiyoma."

"Ryuu Hachiro."

The girl smiled, "Alright, Ryuu-san, stay here and I'll bring some supplies to stitch up that lip." She said pointing to the large gash in the corner of his mouth.

Hachiro stared at the dumplings steaming on the table, pursing his lips, he became lost in thought. That man, the giant he fought, was trying to tell him something. The man was hungry, just hungry. But he helped his country, like he should, such is the duty of a samurai. His master would have done the same, right? Right?

"Right." Hachiro said to himself. He looked down at his tan hands, bruises forming on his knuckles, _Bruises from on hit in the guy's chest. Damn…_ He felt embarrassment course through his body.

Hiyoma walked back in, "Alright! Let's begin!" She pulled out a long, silver needle and thread, making Hachiro shiver.

Min sat leaning against the large, red arch that lead out of the village. The sun was beginning to set, sending orange light cascading through the tree branches onto her extended legs. Min knew she had never been the "ideal" woman, and she never would be, _Perhaps that's why Hachi's taking so long. He's probably givin' it to that girl._ She smirked at the thought of Hachiro's awkwardness in bed.

"Pffffft!" She let out a loud howl of laughter as she held her stomach. She stood up wiping tears from her eyes, "Phew!" She glanced around the fiery woods, savoring the beauty of nature. Her nostrils flared as she took in a deep breath.

"Mom would have loved this… She loved the color yellow." She said to herself, "You must get a kick out of seeing me struggle with this dude? 'Ohhhh but give him a chance, Min-chan!'" She exclaimed, mocking her mother's voice. She felt her throat tighten a bit before shaking it off.

"I got this, Mom… I promise." Min made her way back into the village, planning on breaking up whatever Hachi was doing with that girl.

As Min strode down the streets, she looked suspiciously to the windows, watching as people slammed their blinds shut as they watched her.

"Okay, so this place is just plain fuckin' weird." She concluded. When she approached the shop, she saw the silhouette of Hachi and the girl sitting on the ground, her hand reaching up to his face. _A lover's embrace?_ Min thought to herself, her eyes widening and eyebrow lifting, _I was just joking, but holy shit, he did it._

Hachiro sat on the ground, he had been given multiple flasks of sake beforehand, so Hiyoma began threading stitches through his lip. He sat completely relaxed, giggling whenever she would accidentally graze his chin with her finger.

"You're soooo good… At… _Things…_ " He slurred.

A grin spread over Hiyoma's lips, "Yeah?" She asked quietly, grabbing the corner of his kimono. She poured him another bowl of sake, shoving it between his lips. He slowly reached up after finishing the saucer.

"H-Hyeeey." He said, weakly gripping her wrist as she gripped onto his kimono, "Can I leave now?"

Hiyoma smiled, "I have a better idea…" She said leaning in, "Never leave… Marry me, samurai." Her breath tickled his ear.

Hachiro giggled to himself, "Heheh, marry~?" He sung. His eyes widened and he sobered up… slightly, "W-Wait! Marry?!" Hachiro's face turned beet red. "I-I… Wha-?"

He was cut off by a quick kiss, Hiyoma crushing her lips into his. Hachiro leaned back, screaming internally, his eyes wide as golf balls. He would be fine with this… If she hadn't just proposed to him.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck…_ He thought to himself as her lips worked on his, he felt his hands begin to slide beneath the girl's top, _Wait… What am I doing? No, bad Hachiro. Stop it_. He glanced over at the front windows for an escape plan and spotted a figure looming behind the paper screen, **he knew**. He managed to pry his lips away from Hiyoma's, opening his mouth and letting out a sexual wail that could be heard echoing down the streets.

Min's eyes widened and an eager grin spread across her face. She whipped open the sliding door into the shop, even though the entire window next to it had been destroyed a few hours prior.

"I KNEEEEEW IT!" She declared and she burst in, pointing a finger rigidly in their direction. She stormed forwards, grabbing the girl by the back of her kimono flinging her into the air like a rag doll, "Party's over, kids!" She exclaimed, scooping up Hachiro and flinging him over her shoulder. Giving the girl one last wink, she ran out of the shop, Hachiro's body bouncing up and down with every step.

Min made her way through the winding streets, "I am getting out of this weird-ass town with it's weird-ass people." She grumbled. They passed through the gates and into the woods, her steps finally slowing into a leisurely walk as she struggled to catch her breath. "You're heavier than I thought you would be, Hachi."

Hachiro smirked, "Is that a fat joke?" he teased. Min threw him down in the dirt, laughing at he landed flat on his ass.

"Yes. Fatty."

Hachiro giggled and flopped onto his back, laying in the middle of the dirt path.

"Hey, Min." He said, looking up at her, not moving his body at all.

"What?" She asked, not bothering to pick him up, leaning a tree next to him, propping his body against the freshly uprooted trunk.

"You have a big booger up your nose." He started to cackle.

Min snorted and wiped her nose on her sleeve, "Thanks, bud, that means a lot."

Hachiro was silent for a second, "...Hey, Min."

"Yeah?"

He took a deep breath in, then let it out, "I…." He took in another deep breath, Min looking at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I was proposed to today." He began to giggle again.

Min lifted an eyebrow, "Really? Was she pretty?"

"Hell yeah she was pretty! I grabbed her breast too. Did you see that? I did, for a second." He smiled to himself, obviously proud of himself.

"Hey Min?"

Min snickered to herself, "What is it now?"

"Do you know what my name means?"

Min's eyebrows rose, "Do I seem like the kind of person that would dive deep into the meaning of names?"

Hachiro shrugged, "No… Well, it means eighth son. I have eleven siblings." Hachiro folded his arms behind his head, "I was so ashamed in myself when I lost against that guy… I have to bring honor to my family, being the eighth son, I really have to prove myself. I'm the youngest, the weakest, the most useless." He narrowed his eyes.

"My father used to go out with my seven older brothers, they would fight together, while I stayed home with my four sisters and did housework. My father shunned me, saying I was no man, I was a shameful, feminine son." He pursed his lips and paused for a second, running his tongue over the stitches on the corner of his mouth. "That must be why you drive me so crazy, you're everything I wish I could have been in front of my father before he sent me away. So strong, so bold." He stopped for a moment, as if reliving the whole thing again in his mind.

"My father sent me to Jin to be a man, Jin agreed that I was too weak. Even now, after all these years, I thought I was so far. Then I met someone like you who blows my whole idea of tradition out of the water. I just wish I was more like you…"

Min snorted, "Right."

Hachiro sat up and looked over at the girl, whose arms were crossed over her chest.

"What?"

Min uncrossed her arms and pulled her legs into a criss-cross position, "Let me give you some advice: You don't want to be like me. I am not desirable. I was raised to fight to protect my mother and that's all I know. I wish I wasn't strong, and I wish I didn't even have to go on this mission with you because that would be my mother is still alive. But these things we wish for will not come true, so stop wishing to be someone you're not. Just do yourself a favor and thrive off of yourself." She looked down at her legs.

"I'm sorry you feel so obligated to be manly."

Hachiro reached over and sloppily patted Min's head, "It's okay." He slurred before lying down on the ground, quickly dozing off and passing out.

Min rolled her eyes and dragged him out of the street under a tree nearby where she laid down, slowly falling asleep. Not even questioning it as she drifted off with Hachiro into her dreams.

 **Don't forget to review! It really helps a lot, sometimes one sweet review is all we need to bust out another 5,000 word chapter. So let's take a a gander, will your review be that one?**


	4. Clashes and Judgement

**This story is brought to you by HeartbrokenCandyHearts and KindredVeggies.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Samurai Champloo :(**

 _Everything was blurry. All she could see was Hachiro running in front of her, his sandals broken and splintering, falling apart with every step._

" _Wait up!" She called out to him, before recoiling at the sight of her hand. The skin around her fingernails was torn, and blood ran from the tips of her fingers to her elbow. What? What is this? When did this get here?_

 _Ahead of her she noticed a splash of color and a tall man with dark skin flashed in front of Hachiro. This man, he seems...familiar? All of a sudden the stranger slashed his sword across Hachiro's body, his screamed ripped through the air along with the bright red blood arcing onto the ground._

" _NOOOOOO!" She screamed, her heart wrenching as she suddenly collided with the ground. The dirt and gravel dug into her face, burning as the earth ground away at her skin. She couldn't move her body, all she could do was breathe heavily as her heart raced, whether it was from grief or fear she didn't know._

 _She could hear the clicking of steel enforced shoes heading towards her. The sound interrupting the echo of Hachiro's last moments. The click, clack, click, clack, bounced around in her head, getting louder and louder as the man approached. Finally two ankles entered her line of vision, the blue bands tattooed around each causing her to freeze. No. NO. It can't possibly…She dry heaved._

 _Then the blade of the sword cut across the back of her neck, cutting off her breath and causing blood to gurgle in the back of her throat._

Min woke up with a scream.

"Calm down will you?" Hachiro muttered, holding his head between his knees next to a small campfire.

"Hachiro! Thank God you're alive, I thought he killed you!" She yelled, leaping up from her position against the tree to throw her body into his. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, squishing his own arms against his body. She laid on top of him for a moment before hearing a long groan.

"Uhhhhh what the hell is wrong with you?" Hachiro moaned, trying to wiggle his arms free to cup his pounding head. "And why are you hugging me? Of course that Quincy guy didn't kill me, you beat him up remember?" He moaned again, finally scooting free as Min loosened her grip in confusion. "I would actually really appreciate it if you could shut up now though," he mumbled under his breath, "I don't need to be reminded that I'm weak, and you are soooo loud."

"That Quincy guy, what're you…?"

Hachiro gave her a strange look before getting angry, "Look, I know that you saved me and all, but playing dumb just to rub it in my face isn't cool. You can be such a bitch sometimes, showing off all of your strength, throwing your life around like it's nothing, like you don't have a the power to make a difference, to live your life how you want to."

Min's face turned red with anger, "Like you can say anything, if you weren't so whiny and weak then maybe being the eighth child wouldn't be so bad. I'm sure if you tried as hard as me, worked as hard me, dealt with as much shit as me. You have no right to say that stuff to me when you have no fucking clue what I've been through to get here, how strong I _have_ to be. You're just a spoiled brat that daddy sent away because he couldn't deal with you as extra baggage. You act like I'm such a weak woman, but a woman is stronger than you! So stop acting so full of yourself, like you're some damned hero, you're nothing but a burden to everyone around you." Silence engulfed them, both staring into each other's eyes.

Hachiro's face hardened, his anger faded to nothing as he turned away from Min, grabbing his bag and sword from the log where he had been sitting. He stormed off into the woods, not looking back.

Min sucked her teeth with a loud "Tsch." Standing dormant as her companion ran off. _Such a weak little bitch._ She thought, her cheeks burning with rage and something else… Was it shame? Embarrassment? _Who the fuck cares? I don't._ She grabbed her own things, viciously stomping out the fire before heading off the opposite direction.

The farther Min walked the thinner the forest became, and soon enough she found herself in an empty field of long grass, golden in the morning sunlight. Her rage slowly melted away as she gazed at the natural beauty. _Maybe…maybe I was too harsh. He didn't mean to tell me those things about his family,_ Her own heart ached at the thought of her mother causing her to sigh. _Well shit,_ she turned to look back the way she had come. _I guess I'm gonna have to make it up to him for this._

Hachiro breathed in the crisp, fall air. Winter was coming fast, they only had about a month left to reach Mugen before the cold air prohibits them from going any farther. He felt his stomach start to churn, _Did I make the right decision? Maybe I shouldn't have stormed off._ He pondered to himself, stopping momentarily in the middle of the dirt path. "No, she deserves to be by herself. I can't stand her anyways…" He trailed off, did he really not care? "UGH." He let out an exasperated sigh before trudging forwards, he hated himself for being so skeptical, _I know who I am. I know my morals_. He thought, _She does not fit in with my standards._ Suddenly, a loud moan rang out from around a turn in the path. "Huh?" Hachiro stopped. He heard the sound again, but this time he could make out a single word, " _Help!_ " His eyes widened, and he gripped his sword, taking off around the bend of the path. "Hello?!" He called out, his voice shaking with every footstep. He skidded to a halt as he came across an old woman struggling to pull her foot free from beneath a crate. "Ma'am!" He called as he approached her.

"Oh thank you… Thank goodness you're here, samurai! I got my foot stuck under this crate, stupid ol' me, ho ho!" The old woman's muscles trembled as she attempted to push the giant box off of her small sandal. "Would you be so kind to help me, please?"

Hachiro smiled slightly and nodded, walking up to the box and lifting it with ease. The woman shimmied her foot out from underneath and massaged her toes, "Thank you so much, young samurai!" She bowed with appreciation, "Please, let me treat you to some tea."

Hachiro shook his head, the churning in his stomach disappearing, "Not necessary, ma'am. Is your foot alright?"

The old woman let out a small chuckle and nodded, "Yes. Thanks to you. Please, have some tea with me, I insist! It's the least I could do to repay you."

Hachiro shook his head once again and bowed, "No, thank you, but I must get going." He began to make his way down the path once more.

"Ohh, but, samurai! You are so skinny! A young man like you, who is still growing, must eat! Please, let me give you something small. You look starved!"

Hachiro stopped in his tracks, "Oh, no! I'm not hungry! Thank you very mu-!" His stomach growled in protest. Clasping his hand over his abdomen and feeling his mouth began to water, he turned to face the woman, who stared at him with a triumphant grin, "I guess I am a little bit hungry."

They walked together down the path, chewing on homemade rice balls and dried fruits, "So where are you from young man? It seems a little strange for a youngster like you to be traveling all alone hmm?"

"Actually I wasn't traveling alone, my companion and I split up." He admitted, "We didn't get along very much to be honest."

"Is that so?" The old woman narrowed her eyes, "and might this companion be a girl perchance?"

Hachiro stiffened before slouching in shame, " Yes ma'am, but we got into a fight this morning and I stormed off."

The old woman laughed, "Ho ho you don't have to look so ashamed my boy, I see youngsters like you getting into fights with your women all the time. It isn't until you become old like me that you really appreciate love like that." She winked.

"L-l-love?! Who said anything about love?! We are just traveling companions I promise!" Hachiro flailed, his face turning bright red in embarrassment.

The old woman smacked Hachiro over the back of the head, "It's rude to lie to your elders sweetheart." She reprimanded before putting an overly sweet smile on her wrinkled face."Now why don't you tell me all about this feisty girl of yours and perhaps I can give you some advice."

Hachiro sighed, not even bothering to deny it. "Well...it started out last night when I was _trying_ to protect these two women from this huge brute, but instead of just letting me do my duty as a samurai she _had_ to intervene _just_ to show off how much stronger she is. Then afterwards when I had a little bit to drink she made me spill all of these personal feelings and then this morning she went _crazy_ and attacked me before starting a fight then exploiting the _same_ feelings she managed to squeeze out of me the night before. Then I finally stood up to her and told her I wasn't going to let her put me down and that's when I stormed off." Hachiro finished, gasping for breath.

"Ho ho it sounds like you had quite an eventful morning." The old woman rubbed her chin. "Perhaps you aren't as upset about this girl of yours making fun of you, but what you're really worried about is what she thinks of you hmm?"

"Why would I care what she thinks?" Hachiro raised his voice, exasperated. "If I listened to what she said then there's no way I would be better off! She's loud and obnoxious and her goal in life is to make me feel weak. There's no use listening to someone like that."

The woman grumbled again narrowing her eyes in Hachiro's direction, "Maybe the fact that you aren't listening is the problem young man."

"What do you mean?" Hachiro asked, "how could I be the problem?" He furrowed his brow, confused by the woman's advice.

She poked Hachiro in the chest before adding mysteriously, "That's something _only_ _you_ can figure out..."

Min sauntered about, looking at trees and small flowers, kneeling down to take in their sweet floral scents. "Life is so much better without him…" She thought out loud.

"Without who?!" A shrill voice asked in her ear.

"YAAAAAAH!" Min screeched, falling back on her butt. A small boy stood before her, freckles dotting his cheeks and his mouth spread into a crooked grin. "What the hell is wrong with you, kid?!" She growled, standing up, brushing the dirt off her butt.

"My name is Aito. Whats yours?" He asked, crossing his hand behind his back, his big, brown eyes staring into Min's cold stare.

"Min."

"Hi, Min! So who were you talking about? Your brother?"

"No."

"Your dad?"

"Don't have one."

"Hmmmm…" The boy began to follow Min as she made her way across the field. "Your boyfriend?"

"Definitely not."

"Your friend?"

"No, will you stop asking me questions? Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"

The boy stopped and pondered for a second, Min turning around to watch the gears begin to turn in his head. "Hmmmmm… Nope! I always talk to strangers. Most are nice, some try to chase me." He giggled and they continued to walk. "So. Why do you care about this boy if he's not your friend or family?"

Min scoffed, "I don't remember saying that I cared about him."

Aito raised an eyebrow, "Why are you thinking about him, then?"

"I dont know! Okay?!" Min stopped and sighed, "I don't know, we got in a fight, it wasn't even that big... But I said things to him." She rubbed the back of her neck, "I guess I care because I feel bad for saying some things to him that might have potentially hurt him."

The child grabbed Min's hand, his fingernails were dirty and his skin tanner than hers, "When you think of somebody's feelings, it means you care about them. When my father left to protect our village, I was angry and confused. I said I didn't care about him or when he was coming back, but thinking about him is caring. I kept thinking about my father, hoping he was safe, going against everything I said out loud. My mother told me that thinking about a cockroaches life before you squish it means you should never have killed it."

Min raised an eyebrow, "Soooo?"

"If you're thinking about your relationship with this boy, maybe it shouldn't end."

Min pursed her lips and felt a knot form in her stomach, "You're pretty smart, kid." Min pulled out Hachiro's pouch of gold pieces, handing one to the child. "You deserve candy or something, Aito." She tousled his wild, black hair before turning, "Tell your mom I said thank you!" She began to run through the field, heading towards the woods where she knew two path crossed.

"Bye-bye~!" The boy called, his hand waving high in the air.

Min's sandals sunk into the dry soil as she ran through the field, she felt the ground beneath her begin to harden as she approached the woods. She thought of what she would say to him, Should _I just say sorry? That's enough right?_ She let out a sigh, her arms pumping as she ran, "Maybe I should give him his money back too." Her eyes glazed over as she continued to run, thinking about Hachiro. "I'll just say, 'Sorry Hachi-kun. I should have never said that to you. I know you didn't mean to tell me those things when you were drunk.' No, no, no. I never use honorifics with him, so I'll just say, 'Sorry Hachi-" No. I'll just say-." The woods tore open onto a clear path, she burst out of the thick brush, skidding to a halt in front of two travelers. She looked over and made eye contact with a familiar face. "HACHIRO?!" She exclaimed with surprise, "YOU BITCH! RUNNING AWAY LIKE THAT, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" She yelled, whipping her arm up and pointing rigidly at him.

Hachiro's eyebrow twitched with irritation, "Me?! At least I'm not the one who exploits people's insecurities just to win a stupid argument!"

Min's nostrils flared and chest puffed out as she took a deep breath in, "Listen you-!"

The old woman clapped her hands twice, "Shut up! Both of you!" She interrupted before she smiled sweetly at the two.

"Who's this old bag?" Min asked, her eyebrow raising.

The old woman laughed, "Oh ho ho! Let me introduce myself! I am Shino Hana. You can call me Granny." She said with a giggle and a wink. The woman beckoned towards her cart, "Come, let's all eat together."

Min stared the woman down as she sat down, her eyes squinting. She suspiciously took a rice ball and began to munch on it. "Will you stop being so guarded, Min?" Hachiro scolded, "I'm sure if you weren't like this, we could be friends."

"Or more!" The old woman chimed, "She is very beautiful you know, in a… Natural way!"

"Shut up!" Min groaned, "I wouldn't have any interest in him even if he was head over heels for me." She grinned at him and took another big bite of the rice ball, grabbing for another one.

"Hmph, there's no way, you don't even act like a woman, so why would I ever have any interest for you, you slob."

"Whatever, prude." She retorted.

The old woman looked between the two, frowning, "Now, now, let's calm down so we can think for a minute." Min and Hachiro chewed viciously, staring daggers at each other. Min's jaw worked hard before ripping another piece off with her teeth. Hana laughed nervously then clasped her hands together. "How about we begin to travel, yes?"

"Sure." The two teens said, jumping off the cart, not taking their eyes off one another. " _Screw you_." Min mouthed at Hachiro. Hachiro rolled his eyes as they began to walk on opposite sides of the ox that was pulling the cart with the old woman sitting on top.

Hachiro scoffed, "Wow, this thing smells just like you."

Min snorted, "Wow, Hachi, I didn't know your mother pulled carts for a living."

Hachiro stopped and so did Min. Hachiro popped his sword out from the sheath, ready to reveal the blade at any moment. Min's fists clenched and her legs bounced, she was ready to swing. Hana stepped off the cart and walked over to the two, smacking the backs of their heads with a loud _WHAP._ "Get walking!" She barked. The two teens flinched and sulked away back down the path. Hana started up the cart again. They continued down the dusty path, the trees becoming thinner and more spread out as they reached a clearing. Hills rolled all the way off into the distance, long grass blowing like waves in the sea. Nestled in between two hills was a modest village.

Min crossed her arms and stopped, "Alright, well, thanks for everything Granny, but we'll head around the village." Min rifled around in her bag, pulling out the sack of gold pieces, handing one to the woman, "Thanks for taking care of my dog." She said motioning her head towards Hachiro.

Hachiro's face flushed red as he rushed forwards, snatching the small pouch from her hand, "I'll be taking these back!"

Min's eyebrow twitched, "Yeah? Well, I can't trust-."

The old woman clapped her hands again, silencing them, "Hey! I have one last request for you, please. You both seem so strong and I am so weak." Min shrugged in agreement. "Please consider coming with me to the village, there's a gang running the streets rampant and I just need to get home safely." Min looked to Hachiro, who nodded. Min narrowed her eyes and shrugged again. "I will feed you and let you stay the night."

Min's face lit up, "Alright!" She grinned over to Hachiro, "You want food tonight, Hachi?"

Hachiro shrugged, blushing at the stupid nickname, "Sure."

Granny clasped her small, wrinkled hands together, "Delightful! Come, come!" She exclaimed vivaciously, walking quickly down the hill, her ox and cart following her.

Min and Hachiro glanced at each other while walking down the hill, "Will you stop?" They both asked in unison, "Stop!" Their faces hardened as their glances turned into burning glares. The tension between them crackled in the air like lightning making their hair stand on end.

They reached the village in barely five minutes, "Hm… This seemed farther away up there…"

Hachiro glanced around the fence that lined the village streets as they approached the small archway. "Now, you'll need to put your weapons on the cart so the gang members don't see you're a samurai.. If they do, we'll be killed for sure."

Hachiro narrowed his eyes, "No. No way. Why would I take my sword off in an already dangerous situation?"

Min whipped her head to look at him, "You can always just take it off the cart if we're threatened. C'mon use your head, it's not like we're throwing it in a river." She snapped.

Granny nodded, "She has a point, dear…"

Hachiro gingerly pulled the sword off of his waist and slid it onto the back of the cart, sticking close. The trio stepped into the village, a pin drop could be heard from a mile away, it was so silent. Min took in a nervous breath, she feared Hachiro could hear her heart beating, but what she didn't know it that he worried about the same. The two began to drift closer to each other until they were at each other's side once again. "This is worse than the Rich Bitch Village." Min whispered.

Hachiro nodded in agreement, "Something's definitely not right. She said the gangs were running rampant and I see no gangsters."

Min reached into her bag and fished out a dingy, yellow paper, unrolling it in a puff of dust. Hachiro waved in front of his face with disgust as Min slapped the paper, wiping the dust off. The two looked at the sheet which had a map artfully drawn on, "We were here, in Kosuki, then we split up around here... " She traced their paths with her pale finger, "Then we met here. We should just be travelling through open fields… The next village is a small fishing village over those mountains…" She looked up at Hachiro, their stomach both dropped. Min shoved her map into her bag, "Yo, Granny… I just remembered I left something I needed in Kosuki…" She trailed off as she began to back away, Hachiro following her lead.

"Thank you for your kind offers, but, we must be heading out." Hachiro bowed.

Granny turned and narrowed her eyes, "Ohhh, so that's how it is, huh?" She growled. "Leave me when things get strange, hmm?"

Min nodded, "Hell yeah!" She grabbed Hachiro's wrist, swiftly making her way to the exit.

"Get them!" They heard the old woman screech. Min felt herself get jerked hard one way and Hachiro get ripped out of her hand the opposite way.

"Hachi!" She called, tearing her arm free but quickly being grabbed again. They were surrounded by large men, all dressed in the same brown kimonos. "Fuck you!" She screamed, constantly ripping her arm out only to get grabbed again. She felt rage boil in her stomach and a knot form in her throat. "You can all go to hell!"

Watching his companion wriggle and struggle, Hachiro looked for a way out. He saw his sword still sitting on the back on the cart, he attempted to sprint forwards, only stumbling as his legs were kicked and he was engulfed by large gangsters. They saw the old woman standing by her ox, sadness in her eyes. "Granny-!"

She held her hand up, "Speak no more, child. I know I have betrayed you, but in order for me to live here I must give them some sort of...payment." Her baggy eyes looked to Min, "They pay good money at brothels for girls with light brown eyes like hers."

Min stopped struggling for a moment, her eyes widening, "N-No! I'm- I-!" She was at a loss for words, the thought of dirty strangers she didn't know paying for her made her eyes tear up.

Hachiro's face went blank, "You can't do that! Nobody's gonna pay for a girl like her! She's manly and smells weird! Even if she has 'nice' eyes, she has a chipped tooth in the front and kind of bushy eyebrows."

"HEY!" Min protested.

Granny chuckled, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, "And Hachiro, they need labor down at the gold mines. A spry young man like yourself should do just fine."

The men tightened their grips on Min as they began to pull her back, she snapped out of her shock and began thrashing again, "Wait! WAIT!" Min cried out, "DIE YOU OLD HAG!" She screamed at the old woman as she was dragged into the darkness of an alleyway. "Hachi!"

The other pair of men stiffened as Hachiro struggled, "Don't do this!" He pleaded, 'It isn't fair, I HELPED YOU!" He yelled at the old woman, suddenly filled with anger. His attention was redirected as the gangsters pulled Min across the top of the ridge, removing her from sight.

"MIINNN!" Hachiro howled, his voice becoming raw and raspy. "MIN!" He let out one final breath, defeated. "Min…"

 **Don't forget to review! It really helps a lot, sometimes one sweet review is all we need to bust out another 5,000 word chapter. So let's take a a gander, will your review be that one?**


	5. Coal Miners and Concubines

**This story is brought to you by HeartbrokenCandyHearts and KindredVeggies.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Samurai Champloo :(**

Grass whizzed past Min's head as she felt the dirt path beneath her rub against her smooth legs. "Ow! Be more gentle will ya'?! Fuckin' brutes." She grumbled to herself, sticking her lower lip out and laying limp

as two men dragged her by the ropes that bound her hands. She felt her fingers begin to tingle, "You guys wanna loosen these or what?" No reply. "Y'all deaf or something? I asked if you could loosen these." The men stopped and turned back, staring at her blankly before all rolling their eyes and continuing to plod forwards. Min felt her cheeks turn hot, a voice popped into her head, "MIN!" She could basically feel the despair in his voice penetrating her heart. Hachiro's tall, lean figure popped into her head as she closed her eyes, leaning her head back. Her eyes twitched back and forth beneath their lids as she began to get lost in her imagination.

Hachiro ran beside her, a small smile on his lips. They could see a shack far off in the distance. "Hachi! We're almost there!" She looked beside her and Hachiro had disappeared. Skidding to a halt, she looked around behind her desperately before being grabbed by the shoulders and spun around. A man stood in front of her. He was tall, skinny, tan, and blue rings encircled his wrists and ankles. "Yo, man, let go of me." She grumbled. The man spun her around and shoved her into the shack that had been at least a mile away a few seconds ago. Suddenly she was engulfed by a strong floral odor. She coughed as her lungs filled with the obnoxious scent. She felt pressure on her body and squeezed her eyes shut, "Get off…" She squeaked, opening one eyes to see Hachiro straddling her waist. His lips mouthed something but no sound came out. "Wha-? Hachi?" Suddenly a loud,

"YO!" tore through her thoughts. Her eyes shot open as she saw she was surrounded by thugs, all different shapes and sizes. "It's crazy… You're all ugly as hell, but in your own special way." The men growled and roughly picked her up, grabbing on around her collar and arms, holding her up like a marionette.

"So this is her, hm?" A deep voice commented, sounding un-amused, "Tell me, girl, what's your name?"

Min lifted her head to look him in the eyes, the gold shimmering with anger, "Buta."

The man's pudgy face turned stone cold, "Pig, huh? What a funny name. But unfortunately, here at this brothel we have no time for fun and games." He looked her up and down before backhanding her hard across the face. "So tell me, swine, what is your real name?"

She pursed her lips then sighed, her head bowed, "Himawari." She stated, feeling her cheek pulsating.

The man's face lightened, his rounded lips curving up. "Well, Himawari," His heavy footsteps clomped over to her, his thick finger curving around her chin, lifting her face to his, "Shall we try you out? You are quite beautiful. I've never seen a girl with such light brown hair and light eyes. Are you European?"

Min felt insulted by his assumption, but let out a small chuckle, "My father was a Dutch merchant, sir." An unidentifiable glint showing in her eyes.

The man let out a deep breath that smelled strongly of sake and smoke, "I will see you soon, young lady." Before he left, he let his hand wander down Min's back to the fabric covering her butt. She averted her eyes with a slight discomfort, watching him saunter away.

The men tugged her arms, leading her down a small walkway, paper lanterns strewn across the railings, dimly lighting the area. "If this wasn't a brothel, this would be a very romantic spot, huh?" She looked back at her captors, "You guys like to bring your girlfriends here? Or boyfriends? I don't judge." She looked at them as they sent her irritated glances, "If we weren't in these circumstances, it would be almost like we're on a date huh? The lighting's low, the ambiance is just right, there's a light aroma of perfume, now all we need is some- GAH!" They suddenly slid open a door and shoved her in. She stumbled back, falling onto her butt with a grunt. The large men nodded to a woman who sat in the room with Min, "Yo, what's going on?"

The woman stood up from her sitting position, she was small and dainty, her face as pale as snow with lips painted a foreboding red, the color of blood. "I must make you look acceptable for Master Shonjuu."

Min scoffed, "Really? Am I not acceptable as I am?"

The woman flared her nostrils as she let in a deep sigh, "Well…"

"Wowwww." Min groaned, "Whatever, do what you want, I'm too tired to deal with any other shit anyways." The woman took out a series of small brushes and powders of various shades, laying them out before her. She worked quickly, yet gently, her petite finger grazing Min's cheeks as she blended the colors together into a portrait on her face. The woman began to put a liner on Min's eye, "WOAH!" Min exclaimed, startled, "What are you doing to my eye?" She asked, looking alarmed and lopsided, with only one of her eyes defined.

The woman raised her eyebrow, "It's eyeliner. Have you never worn makeup before?"

Min's face formed into a pout as she thought long and hard, "Nope. Never."

The woman smiled gently and placed her hand on Min's shoulder. "You look absolutely stunning." The two sat across from each other on their knees, Min's old kimono had now been stripped off of her and replaced with a new, clean red one. The woman stared into Min's eyes, "How did you get here? You obviously didn't come here by choice, a girl like you would never."

Min narrowed her eyes with intrigue, "How'd you guess?" She looked the woman up and down, she was no more than 25 with a small frame and pale limbs.

"The way you sit."

"Huh?" Min scoffed.

"You sit so slumped over, you obviously don't care about the opinions of others. You wouldn't care if people thought you were a hero or a complete villain." A sadness radiated in her eyes, her head bowing in shame, "Hm. I wish I was like you before I came here 3 years ago. They told me 2 years would pay off my father's debt, but it's been a year overdue. Now I'm just tired, I know if I ever get out of here, a man will never want me. If I stay in here, I'll be used the rest of my life. At least here, I'll be of use to somebody. What's a woman in the outside world without a man?"

Min's face turned red, "Now, what the hell kind of thinking is that?" She growled, the woman's head snapping up to look at Min, "You don't need anybody out there. Hell, I've been on my own for as long as I can remember, just me and my mother, no men in sight. We survived. No, we prospered. So who cares if you have a man or not? They don't define us. Tell me, if men were so important and noble, why hasn't your father come to get you yet, huh?"

The woman's face hardened and tears welled up in her eyes, "I don't… I don't know."

Min shrugged, "Exactly, so what are you doing even trying to rely on a man for your life when not one has ever come through for you?! I'll tell you this, once you get out of here, run. Run to a new place. Find a house, make a living for yourself and only yourself. After this job, you are done using your body to please others, you have to use it to make gains for yourself." She said, poking the woman in the chest, setting her trembling body off balance, making her catch herself.

Tears slowly fell down the woman's painted cheeks, she wiped them quickly with the back of her hand which still clutched a thin paintbrush with eyeliner on it. "Tell me your name."

"Min."

"I'm Tsuna." The woman reached up and motioned for Min to close her eyes, beginning to paint the lids. Suddenly, Min felt Tsuna's breath on her ear, "Min, you must escape, for me and for the rest of the women here. Please."

Min tightened her eyes and sighed, wrapping her arms around the woman tightly, "Of course I will. I promise you." Tsuna returned the hug and they sat in a sweet embrace for a while before footsteps could be heard coming down the small boardwalk. Tsuna gasped and stood Min up, patting her down, smoothing her dress, and fixing the girl's hair which she had tied into a large updo adorned with cherry blossoms and small, white wildflowers.

"Do not resist him, just let him do whatever, then escape." She said, tears filling her eyes again, "Remember your promise."

Min nodded, not getting a chance to return the kind words as the door slid open. "Come, Himawari-san." A man said, extending his arm to lead her out.

Min slowly walked out of the room, a new grace about her. Her head was held high, prepared for whatever was about to be thrown at her, she was stronger than them, she knew she was. She was led to a room that was lit dimly by small candles in each corner. The man sat her down in the center of the room of a bed mat that laid on the floor. Plush pillows surrounded her, them smell of stale smoke burned into them. She scrunched her nose with discontent. "Tsch, smells like shit in here." She grumbled, shifting to sit on her butt, crossing her legs. She studied the room for a few more minutes before the boards below her began to creak as the large man made his way to the door, swiftly sliding it open and clumsily walking into the room, obviously buzzed.

The man stumbled, "Make yourself comfortable, girlie." He slurred, plopping down on his ass next to her, his hand wandering to her leg, beginning to explore upwards. Min scrunched her nose in disgust before shaking it off and looking over at him, "Let's get to it, shall we?" He said.

Min narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath in, her chest puffing out defiantly, "Bring it on."

Hachiro sat with his head in his hands, across the rickety wooden table was the old woman. He sighed.

"It's not too bad my dear," The grandmother tried to reassure him, "besides, I had to do it. Otherwise they would have taken my house away."

Hachiro lifted his head from his hands but didn't respond, instead turning his chair away from the table, so he wasn't facing her anymore.

"How about some tea? Some tea will make you feel better." She decided, slowly rising from her creaky chair and starting to bustle about the tiny kitchen. Hachiro looked up as she held out a hot cup of strongly brewed tea. He gave her a blank look before suddenly smashing the cup and saucer to the ground, the loud clatter startling the old woman and causing her to back into the counter. He jumped up, knocking his chair to the floor before striding out of the house, banging the door back on its hinges.

"Shit!" Hachiro cursed under his breath, pacing back and forth in front of the porch. The two guards from earlier watching him silently from their posts by the door.

"Shit, shit, shit…" He continued to mumble, only pausing to watch a new pair of gang members climb over the top of the ridge. They slowly meandered towards Hachiro and the others, laughing and smoking as they went. When they finally arrived in front of Hachiro, the taller of the two looked at him disdainfully.

"So you're the little twerp we recruited for working in the mines? Ha! A skinny pansy like you won't last the week."

Hachiro narrowed his eyes, "I'm not as weak as you think I am." He said defiantly.

The two men grinned, grabbing Hachiro by the elbows and dragging him through the dirt as he struggled.

"What the hell! I can still walk dumbasses." He exclaimed, digging his heels into the ground. They ignored him, opting to walk even faster. After a while Hachiro gave up struggling and looked at the sky, it was starting to get dark now, the stars just beginning to show.

I'll find you Min, I promise.

"Look at this little bitch," One of the guys dragging Hachiro remarked. "Stupid pansy's is getting all choked up about some lights in the sky, and he said he was a good worker, yeah right." They dropped Hachiro's arms and kicked him towards a barrel full of mining tools.

Hachiro scrambled to his feet, "How dare you insult me? Samurai are considered a class above stupid workers like you, at least I can think for myself instead of only being able to follow orders." Hachiro spat at his feet.

The guard rushed forward ready to beat the shit out of Hachiro, but he was stopped by a deep boom. All three of them looked towards where the sound came from. Around the curve of the hill a long line of workers, all chained together, marched simultaneously as a skinny boy beating a drum led the way.

The two men smirked. "Well boy," the taller one roughly patted him on the back, "it's time for work!"

Hachiro found himself chained to a post about 50 feet underground. Along with two other men tied to the same post, he was instructed to use his pick to break off fist sized chunks of coal from the surrounding rock. If they were the wrong size, he had been warned, he would be whipped for insolence.

"Stupid. Freaking. Grandma. I never should have trusted an old woman like that. Old people are always senile and crazy." Hachiro ranted as he pounded away at the stubborn rock.

"Now now, we aren't all senile and crazy, thank you very much." A voice chuckled from Hachiro's right. The old man next to him smiled, showing his blackened gums and crooked teeth.

Hachiro paused for a moment, "Hey, what's your name?"

The old man laughed again, "I don't have a name son. I've been down here so long I hardly remember the last time I wasn't, much less my age, where I came from, or my name."

Hachiro blanched, "You don't even know your own name?! And you said you weren't senile or crazy!"

"Hehehe! I said not all old people were, not that I wasn't." The old man winked, raising up his arms to make another hit against the stone wall.

"If you've been here so long, why would you keep mining? Can't you just go on strike or something? Or run away?"

"Well boy, sometimes it's better to follow orders than it is to be the leader."

Hachiro shook his head, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Have you ever had a woman?" The old man asked.

Hachiro's thoughts immediately went to Min. "Yes…" he replied hesitantly.

"Well then you should know the best way to deal with a woman, is to let her be right."

"Bu—"

The old man kept going, "Now she won't always be right, and you won't always be wrong, but sometimes the better thing to do is swallow your pride and let her make the decisions, no matter how crazy you think they sound."

Hachiro closed his mouth, contemplating what the man said. "It does seem to be pretty important for them to be independent doesn't it? Maybe they are just trying to prove that they are just as capable as men."

The old man smiled and nodded, "Now you've got it. Just apply that to your life and everything will work out, now if you excuse me I have to use the bathroom heheh." He raised his hand and called out to the nearest guard, who unchained him from the post and led him towards the surface.

Hachiro observed silently, already forming a plan in his head. Not too much longer Min.

When the old man returned, Hachiro began to interrogate him, "So they take you all the way up to the surface?"

"That's right."

"And they only have one guard posted?"

The old man looked suspicious, "Mmhmm."

"Thanks old man. It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet...now boy I know what you're planning and I'm gonna tell you it's not gonna work. You'll only get yourself in more trouble."

Hachiro waved him off, calling to the guard at the end of the tunnel. "It's alright old man, I've been trained as a samurai. I know what I'm doing."

The guard grumbled about having to travel to the surface and back while unchaining Hachiro's line. As the pair started to make their way to the surface, the old man murmured to himself.

"I thought I did too kid, I thought I did too."

Hachiro prepared himself as he made the journey to the top of the mine, running every possible scenario through his head.

The guard led him to a small grove in the patch of woods by mountain, "Hurry it up, I haven't got all day you hear?"

Hachiro marched forward, look at his surroundings. "Are you sure you can't remove the chain? It's kind of difficult to deal with."

The guard rolled his eyes, "Everyone else deals with it, so you have to too."

"Can you at least turn around? I don't think I can do it with you watching."

The guard rolled his eyes again, but complied with Hachiro's request. While his back was turned Hachiro bent down and picked up a decent sized rock. Lifting it over his head he slowly moved toward the guard, smashing the stone against his head. Surprisingly the guard fell on his face and didn't move.

Hachiro leaned down to check the body, "Well that worked better than I expected." he said to himself before rummaging through the guards belongings before finally finding a soot covered key. "Aha!" He unlocked the cuffs holding his wrists together. He tried to wipe the soot off of his arms but ended it up just smearing it around. Hachiro shrugged and threw the chain down, he cuffed the knocked out guard by the ankle so when he woke up, the guard wouldn't be able to warn the others and follow him that easily.

"Now all I need to do is get my swords back." Hachiro thought aloud. He crouched behind a large bush to peer out at the surrounding area. The mining camp was mostly empty, so he sprinted behind what few barrels and buildings lined the border. Suddenly, footsteps broke the silence, "Shit…" He spat, glancing around, his hiding spot was weak, he was so tall and the shrub was so short. He scurried over to a small tool shed. Sliding through the splintered door, he peered out as two guards made their way lazily to the water barrels along the back of the shed, scooping the still water with their tin cups and slurping the drink noisily.

"See, see, I just don't get why she has to be such a prude about the brothels! I mean, she knows I'm in the gang, so she knows that means unlimited bitches, if you don't like it, don't date a gangster, ya' know what I mean, my man!?" He cheered, clanking cups with his partner.

"Damn man, that sure is a real bummer, I hear boss found this new girl that some old hag turned in. They say she's hot and feisty as hell." The guard took a big gulp of water, his voice still coming out shrill and mouse-like, "Listen, just tell her you have some business to take care of with the gang and you'll be out tonight, then we can go and try that new girl out, eh?" He raised his cup again in salute to his ingenious idea before chugging the rest of the water, wiping the droplets off of his greasy upper lip.

The other guard scratched his ass cheek before drinking the rest of his cup, "How long do we have to stay here..?" He continued to gripe and whine to his partner as something caught Hachiro's eye. The man had two swords strapped to his hip, they weren't Hachiro's but they were close enough. Hachi grinned slightly before creeping out of the shed, a pick in hand. The door cooperated with him until it let out a loud creak, making the guards head snap around to look at him, "Hey!" The ass scratcher exclaimed.

Hachiro took a step back, surprised at how loud the man's voice got, "Hey." He said calmly.

The itchy guard unsheathed his sword, "Put the pick down, boy," He demanded, his knees locked. Hachiro tilted his head, the man was scared, and where was the other guard? Did he run off?

Hachiro let out a small huff of laughter through his nose before gripping the pick and lunging at the guard, making him squeal. "Shut up!" Hachiro demanded coldly, gripping the man's sweaty wrist. He snatched the sword from him, "Give me your swords." He growled, his eyes were different, so was his voice. He used to be so timid, but now there was a dark aura surrounding him, he now had something to lose. Or rather, something to fight for. The trembling man fumbled with the swords, handing them over to Hachiro, who grabbed them and turned, sprinting into the woods, not looking back at the man who collapsed to the ground in fear. "The brothel, the brothel…" He muttered to himself, he just had to find the redlight district, which wouldn't be hard, ask any greasy old man in the village and they can tell him the directions like they can recite the names of their children. Oh wait… More like they can recite the varieties of liquor the shop down the street sells for cheap.

Hachiro's breathing quickened and his adrenaline kicked in, sending him flying through the woods, dodging trees and leaping over shrubs, he didn't want to be too late.

Min sat on the cold, wooden floor, rubbing her aching wrists, readjusting her twisted kimono. She stood up and took a deep breath in, running all of her escape options through her head. Going out the front wasn't an option, neither was the back.

"Shit," she grumbled. There were guards everywhere, there were men all over, and most of the women couldn't be trusted. Her stomach began to churn, giving her a sinking feeling. "There has to be a way…" Panic started to set in, her breathing quickened, she began to pace. "Calm down, calm down." She whispered to herself. "There is always a way out."

She walked over to the mat on the floor where the unconscious body of Master Shonjuu laid and plopped down on his stomach, her butt sinking into his protruding belly. She couldn't remember the layout of the brothel, when to use which doors or turn down which halls. She had been disoriented. Burying her face in her hands, she began to feel weak for the first time. Tears welled up in her eyes, "No, no, no. I haven't cried since I was five. Stop. Stop it, Min." She scolded, but the black from her eyeliner began to pool under her eyes. Bleeding down her white, painted cheeks.

Fuu's barefeet kicked up small clouds of dust with every step as she hung clothes with pins to lines that stretched across the back of their small shop. "Min! Come quickly and get the dry clothes!" She called, dirt gathering in the wrinkles under her eyes. "Min?" She called again. A small cry could be heard from around the house, making Fuu's heart jump out of her chest, "Min!?" She sprinted around the house, her pink sleeves flapping as she ran, she turned the corner to see her small daughter crouched over a frog, rubbing her eyes. "Darling? What's wrong?" Fuu asked, crouching down to her level.

Min looked up with big, golden eyes, "I stepped on this frog and now it won't move." She said, a fresh batch of tears bursting from her lids. "I thinks it's dead, Mommy." Her voice shook with sorrow.

Fuu tilted her head, a small smile on her lips, "Awww, let me see." She said scooping the amphibian into her palm, "Hmmm." She put the small animal to her ear and gasped, "Oh! I heard it croak!" She exclaimed.

"What?!" Min exclaimed, "You did?!"

"I did, I did! Listen!" She said happily, putting the frog to Min's ear, a small croak came from its little throat.

"See? It began to croak right as you stopped crying! He's trying to tell you he's okay!" Fuu giggled, and grabbed Min's hand, "Come on, let me show you something." She walked with her child to the back of their house where a barrel of water sat with a washboard propped up within the water. "Min, look." She said, holding the frog out in her palm for Min to set her gaping eyes on, "This frog is hurt because you stepped on him, but just because he is hurting now, doesn't mean he won't get better later. He just needs a little love." She chimed, placing him in the barrel of water, "Frogs love water, just like I love you! This frog is a lot like us, Min." She said, letting out a laugh as Min stared skeptically at her, "We've both been hurt by your father, but with love we healed. Maybe this frog will never be the same, but he now has a new found knowledge, and when he stops hurting he will use his knowledge to be even stronger than before. Life is about learning lessons Min." She gave Min a mischievous grin, "Now he's learned to stay away from CLUMSY MIN FEET!" She scooped her daughter up into her arms and spun her around, their laughter ringing together in harmony.

Min smiled and wiped the last of her tears from her cheeks, black residue still smearing her makeup into matching gray blobs on her cheeks.

Hachiro finally found the illuminated building in the redlight district, lanterns swayed back and forth in the fall breeze, inviting him inside. He approached the doors where two large gang members stood menacingly with their arms crossed.

"I would like to get in." Hachiro demanded. The men glanced at each other and gave a grunt before looking off to the distance. Hachiro's tall stature looked measly compared to these two. Hachiro scoffed dramatically, catching the guard's attention, "Wow, so… I'm guessing you don't know who I am?" He asked skeptically. The men looked to each other then back to Hachiro and shook their heads, "My father is Lord…. Lord…" He glanced around looking for ideas, "Lord Fukka and I need to get in. I have many other brothels lined up-."

"Then go somewhere else Fukka ." The larger guard sneered.

Hachiro's face dropped before he began to turn away, "Well, I guess I'll be taking these elsewhere…" He held out the sack of gold pieces and began to walk away.

The guards checked with each other again and nodded, "Wait, come here, kid." They said simultaneously.

Hachiro's face lit up before he walked back to them, "How much for the new girl? The newest one you have. I like it rough, I want a feisty one, preferably with lighter eyes."

The smaller guard snorted, "That's pretty specific, kid." The men looked to each other again making Hachiro smile to hide his irritation, "But you're in luck." The large man snagged the entire sack of gold pieces out of Hachiro's hand, dumping them into his crusted palm, "Hmph, here." He threw one gold piece into Hachiro's chest before leading him to the room. Hachiro's stomach dropped as he followed them, his gaping eyes peering at the measly gold piece that remained of their funds. He looked up, gazing at the lanterns and beautiful women that lined the walkways. He made eye contact with a pale woman with painted red lips, her hair was dark and her eyes sad. He nodded to her, narrowing his eyes. The woman nodded back, hope filling her stomach, maybe this man was here to help. "Swords." The men demanded, holding their hands out, stopping in front of a sliding, paper door.

"Right…" He gripped the hilt of his sword, looking back at the woman who stood in the walkway. The woman leaned over the railing and peered around the corner, looking back and giving him the slightest nod. Hachiro narrowed his eyes and nodded back, looking to the guards who eyed him suspiciously. He unwrapped his swords from around his waist, handing one to one guard and extending the other one. As the man reached to grab it, he ripped it out of its sheath, slicing across the man's throat, a spray of red gushing out.

He flicked the blood off his sword and looked to the other guard who stood in shock before shaking his head, "You bastard!" He growled, unsheathing his sword as well, throwing Hachiro's first sword over the railing, sending it clattering to the street below. "Die!" He yowled, swinging recklessly at him. Hachiro easily evaded, spinning around making a slit in the man's forearm. The man grunted before switching arms and swinging even more clumsily than before. Hachiro sighed and stabbed the man through the chest, pushing him over the edge of the balcony, watching his lifeless body plummet to the ground. Hachiro looked to the woman whose eyes flickered around the room, her expression panicked, waving her arm at him, telling him to go.

Then the door slid open with a loud CLACK.

 **Don't forget to review! It really helps a lot, sometimes one sweet review is all we need to bust out another 5,000 word chapter. So let's take a a gander, will your review be that one?**


	6. Bad Haircuts and Beaches

**This story is brought to you by HeartbrokenCandyHearts and KindredVeggies.**

 **Also, this chapter includes a brief implication of rape.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Samurai Champloo :(**

The room was empty. Hachiro felt a tightness in his throat as he looked around helplessly. He threw open the closet doors and inside sat a fat man with blood covering the front of his clothes and his throat torn open wide.

He winced at the scene, "Min, you're crazy. Wasn't that overkill? Just a little bit?" He slammed the doors shut and looked to a window that was gaping wide open, the crisp, autumn breeze wafting in.

Hachiro looked back to see the woman with the red lips smiling at him in the doorway, "Don't look back, my dear. Min is probably already far ahead, it will take some time to catch her."

She looked back and forth before staring into Hachiro's deep, brown eyes. Despite her soft smile pity still weighed heavily on her expression, glinting at him from her dark eyes.

"Run away. Quickly."

The woman slammed the doors shut and Hachiro lept out the window, making his way from rooftop to rooftop before landing in the back alley behind the brothel. He felt a deep sense of guilt leaving the woman behind who helped him, but he would return the favor someday.

Young ladies and old men were canoodling in the dirty alleyways. Hachiro scrunched his face in disgust before making his way towards the forest on the outskirts of the village. He had no idea where he was going or in what direction, all he knew is that Min would be heading towards the sea, so he would too.

Min sprinted through the woods, her hips and everything in between throbbed with pain, making the scenery into one dark mass. Her blood crusted fists clenched as her lungs screamed for air. She didn't know how long she had been running, but the glow of the village was far gone and the only source of light was the silver luminescence pouring from the moon. She slowed her pace to a clumsy plod, her fingers clasped over her lower abdomen. She let out a groan before tripping facedown into a ravine where frigid, muddy water lay dormant.

" _Fuck. FUCK YOU, FUCK EVERYTHING._ " She screamed into the night. She spat the brackish water out of her mouth. She pounded her fist into the ground several times, splashing several droplets of water into her tear streaked face. The coolness counteracted the heat from her tears, "Wait a second… it's salty." She whispered, looking down at the muddy puddle she knelt in.

She tore her soiled kimono off and stood in naked in the night. She could see her breath form clouds that lazily drifted over her head. Bruises lined her hips and arms. She wrung out her kimono little by little and hung it up on a nearby branch. Her body shivered but she felt nothing. She looked up to the moon.

"Mom… If you're up there, you must have seen what happened to me." She said, an overwhelming sadness washed over her that was quickly replaced with boiling rage. An anger overtook her, the kind that started in her chest and spread, bubbling over in her stomach, "But this won't stop me. This will only fuel my strength, this will rekindle my desire to be the strongest woman in Japan. I've never let men stop me in the past, and now is no different." Min crossed her arms over her bare breasts, "That creature took something I can never get back, but I took something of his that he will never, _never_ get back. I killed the bastard, Mom, and now, I won't hesitate to destroy anyone in my way. I will fulfill your final wish."

Min put her damp kimono on and continued to walk. The smell of the salt became stronger every few minutes until she could feel the thick humid air floating inland from the ocean.

Hachiro made his way through the woods, clenching his original swords as well as a newly obtained pink tanto that rattled with many small charms and beads. He felt a deep sadness in his chest.

"I failed you, Min. I failed you, father. I failed you, Jin." He whispered. His paced slowed until he leaned against a tree that overlooked a small stream. He laid the two swords out in front of him.

Swords were the most important thing in a samurai's life, they represented family ties, honor, and class. The year was almost over and the new Japanese government was preparing to strip samurais of all of their rights, the Meiji were in rule now and the shogunate was gone.

Hachiro sat on his knees, his hands in his lap, he knew the age of the samurai was over. He unsheathed his sword.

Min broke out of the forest to find a tiny seaside village surrounded by grassy dunes. She shivered violently from the chill breeze and fell backwards onto the powdery sand. A wave of relief washed over her. She finally made it to the sea. Her body still shook from a combination of fear, adrenaline, and cold, but she didn't care. Her golden brown eyes gazed up at the silver moon. Hachiro popped into her head and she sighed.

"Hachiro is a samurai, all powerful or whatever. He can take care of himself." She turned onto her side and curled up into a ball, drifting off into a deep sleep, Hachiro's voice still playing at the back of her mind.

Hachiro stared at his sword which glinted in the silver moonlight. This was the end of the road for his journey as a samurai, as it was for every samurai in the country. He was the final son, he was just like the other peasants of Japan. He stood and tore off his clothes, which bore the family crest. He wore nothing but wraps around his hips, his tan body turned pale in the moonlight. His muscles rippled with every deep breath he took.

The young man brought his sword to his head. His fingers firmly wrapped around the small bun the sat at his crown. His blade slid through the hair with ease, small strands falling before his eyes and gently falling to the forest floor. He threw his bun into the small stream and watched it be swept away by the luminescent waters. His shaggy, dark brown locks fell over his eyes. He pulled out a small stone his mother gave him before he left for his apprenticeship with Jin.

Though he rarely spoke to his mother, he knew she cared about him in the long run. She loved him, she just didn't know him. In hindsight, nobody had ever known Hachiro, nobody had ever cared about him in the slightest.

He gazed at the dark stone that was about the size of his palm and smashed it abruptly against a boulder half buried in the silt of the stream. He slid the sharp edge over his scalp, cutting his hair to nothing but a dark stubble. His eyes locked on the stone as he gripped it in his hand, the jagged pieces piercing the callused skin of his palm. He tossed the rock into the water, a small cloud of blood following it downstream. He felt the warm, sticky liquid covering his hand. He ripped the sleeve off of his kimono and ripped the family crest into strips, wrapping it tightly around his fresh wound. He leaned against a tree, sliding down to a meditative position. The bark made his back tingle. He looked through the branches of the trees and into the moon.

"I will find you Min, I promise." He whispered, letting his lids shut.

Min felt something warm and wet on her cheek along with soft breaths. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed around her, feeling for some sort of weapon, but when her eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself surrounded by dogs. _What in the hell…_ There were dogs of all sizes, wagging their tails and panting happily. She looked next to her at a gray mutt that licked her cheek.

"So you were the one who woke me up, huh?" She said with a giggle, petting his head. "What if I'd had a weapon nearby, I could've killed you." She suddenly stood, but collapsed back into the sand, off balance.

"Shit, I guess it's worse the second day." She groaned, gripping her abdomen. The dogs all whimpered in unison and came closer to her, "Wha-... Man, this is so damn weird." She stood again weakly and began to shuffle forward. _I just need stretch, walk it off, I'm just stiff._ She began to walk in normal strides, but right as her foot hit the ground, pain shot from her hips up her back. She let out a surprised gasp and her whole body jolted. She fell to one knee and put her head in her hands, "Uuuugh." She moaned.

She punched the sand in frustration, one punch leading to another and another until the blood from her knuckles caked the sand together in small red clumps. She gasped for air and doubled over, her forehead rested against the grains of white. A voice called out from above her.

"Excuse me… Are you alright?" She looked up to the source of this sound. Min's tough persona took over as she stood.

"I'm fine." She tried to say steadily, but her voice croaked from misuse. She wiped her knuckles on her kimono. "You got any wraps?" She asked, holding up her fist.

She looked to the young man who stood before her, surrounded by dogs. His hair was messy and his skin tan. His grey eyes crinkled as he laughed, bearing a slight crooked, yet handsome smile. Min was taken aback.

The male nodded, "Follow me."

Min complied, and they made their way slowly, flanked by all the happy pups.

"Sorry if these little guys caused you any trouble. I take in any stray dogs that show up on the shore. They're usually very happy to have a new family.." He patted a brown mutt the trotted next to him on the head before looking at Min with his beautiful eyes.

Min felt her stomach flip. "Heh… no they weren't an issue." Her bare feet sunk into the cold, damp sand.

The man stopped and looked down, "Why don't you have shoes on? Were you staying out here last night in the cold?" He asked incredulously.

Min nodded, "Yeah, it's no big deal."

The male scratched his head then laughed, "You're a weird one. I'm Kogotsu." He held out his hand.

"Min." Her hand clasped with his which felt rough and calloused like hers. Kogotsu smiled at her and she felt herself crack a small grin in return. Their hands laid in each others in what felt like an eternity. Min pulled her hand away with a jerk and laughed nervously.

"Let's go inside."

Kogotsu nodded and opened his rickety door into the modest shack he called home. "Excuse the mess, I don't really get visitors often. I moved here from Kawagoe, my parents were warehouse owners and I worked for them until I was 16, that was when I decided to move away. I didn't like the way things were done in my family's business, it was all rather shady." Kogotsu led her to a table and motioned for her to sit, "I'll go grab those wraps for you."

Min nodded silently and watched him wearily. Kogotsu saw the obvious, suspicious glares coming from Min and smiled gently back.

"Would you like something warm to eat as well?" His voice was gentle, yet raspy. Min squinted at him then gave another curt nod. "Very well. Let me wrap your hands first."

The young man pulled a chair out to sit in front of her. Min stiffened up and glared at him. Kogotsu shuddered, "Quit giving me such a scary look. You much more beautiful without it." Min's eyebrow twitched in confusion. Her bloody hand was taken into his rough palms. He grabbed the wraps and gently began to mend her wounds. Min felt her heartbeat quicken in pace. Her eyes traced the dark freckles that dotted his nose and cheeks like stars. There were only a few, just enough to make a few constellations. Kogotsu rubbed his thumb gently over the wraps.

Min felt heat rise up the back of her neck. Her eyes widened and she pulled her hand away quickly. "Uh- Uhm… Coolio- I-I mean, thank- You?" She stammered.

Kogotsu's face spread in a goofy grin as he let out a soft laugh. Min's tan cheeks flushed red.

"D-Don't laugh at me, asshole!" She barked. The male bit his lip and stifled a laugh, snorting, his muscular shoulders quivering.

Min rolled her eyes and tried to suppress the smirk she felt tugging at her lips. "You're stupid."

Kogotsu poked Min's forehead, "You're a dummy." He teased. His lean frame stood and he made his way over to where a small pot steamed, "Lucky for you, dummy, I made a pot of porridg–" He was cut off by the sound of one of his many dogs yelping. His dark brows narrowed and he hurried out of the shack.

Min watched him curiously, slowly standing to follow. She winced and held her abdomen in discomfort as she walked after him. She peeked out the door and saw Kogotsu crouching next to a dog and looking up at a chubby woman who appeared rather displeased. She was yelling something at him, but the wind and the sound of the waves on the soft, sandy shore muffled her words.

Min watched as Kogotsu stood and shrugged at the woman, standing protectively in front of his dog. She continued to yell until her hand began to shove at his sternum, making him stumble back and fall over his dog. Butt in the sand, Min watched his hands gesturing to the woman as he explained something to her.

The woman was having none of his attempts to negotiate and kicked Kogotsu's leg. He seemed to take the kick and just try to scoot away in the sand. The woman got in one last kick before storming off down the shoreline towards the main cluster of buildings in the village.

Min narrowed her eyes, "If I wasn't such a mess right now, I'd kick that cow's ass." She growled. She turned and walked inside. She sat in her chair and waited for Kogotsu to return. When he did Min feigned ignorance.

"What was that?" she asked.

Kogotsu shrugged, "Meh, just some of my dogs got in a little scuffle. Nothing too bad." Min nodded. A bowl of hot porridge slid in front of her, served with a bright smile from dog boy. Min lifted her foot up and gently nudged the leg that he was kicked in. He grimaced with pain.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

Min scooped porridge into her mouth, looking up with big eyes, "Why would that hurt? It was only a _nudge_." Min stuck out her big toe again to poke his leg.

"St-Stop!" He stammered. Min smirked. He squinted back, "So you must've seen what happened outside, huh?" His long legs spread out as he sat across from her, and he sighed.

"The people in the village don't like me. _At all_. They think I'm dragging down their reputation, like we're some filthy, stray-ridden trash town." He shook his head, "But my dogs aren't like that! They're sweet animals that would never do anything to hurt another creature!"

Min pursed her lips and shrugged, "Why deal with it?"

Kogotsu tilted his head, "What?" He spooned another glob of porridge into his mouth. A little bit left behind on his lip. Min's focus strayed to where the food teased her. She opened her mouth to comment on it, but Kogotsu's finger slowly dragged over his lip before she could say anything. He stuck his finger, innocently enough, into his mouth and sucked the food off. Min felt heat rise to her cheeks as she fell entranced with his lips.

Snapping out of it she looked up and found Kogotsu's eyes trained on hers. Min's eyes widened and she felt herself press back into her chair. "What?" He reiterated.

Min shook her head and fumbled out, "Wh-What? Who am I-? Wha-?"

Kogotsu snorted with laughter. "I'm asking you what you meant. About 'dealing with it'."

Min cleared her throat and felt her palms begin to sweat, "Right. Right! I knew that!" She took in a slow breath and sighed, "Why do you deal with the villagers' shit? Just leave. Bring your dogs with you."

His head tilted, mimicking a confused puppy.

"It's not that hard!"

Kogotsu rolled his eyes.

Min folded her arms, "What?" Her gaze seared into his.

He shrugged, "Up and moving is not that easy, Min."

"The hell it is!" Min sat up in her chair and leaned forward, "My mom died a month ago. I knew that the best thing in my interest was to fulfill the last wishes of my mother. When you have a purpose to go, _go_. Especially when there's nothing holding you back." Min opened her palms upwards on her lap, "Look around you, Kogotsu! There's nothing here holding you back! It's just all in your head."

"Is it?" Kogotsu remarked softly with a soft breathy laugh. But his eyes no longer had the cheerful glow. His lips curved in a soft smiles, but his eyes told a different story.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Min snapped.

Kogotsu's head whipped up to look at Min. His eyes widened, "I don't-don't know…" Min felt her body move, and before she even realized, her arms were around his shoulders in a tight embrace. She felt his arms snake around her waist. They stood like this for a short while before Min slowly pulled away from him.

"Will you show me around? It's been years since I've been to the beach."

Kogotsu's tan freckles were overtaken by a dark blush as he nodded vigorously. He stood and took her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. He led her outside, the sticky air made the contact between their skin last a little longer with every step. Their hands were sweaty, but Min found herself not caring.

A pack of various dogs trailed behind them, panting happily. She looked up and felt her breath catch in her throat as she made eye contact with Kogotsu. He looked away bashfully, realizing he had been caught staring.

Min blushed, but let out a laugh, "Real smooth, dog boy!"

Dog boy laughed with her, "Whatever, dummy." He stopped suddenly, his grip tightening on Min's hand. Min looked up at him, confused. "Maybe we should turn back…"

She followed his gaze to a small, rickety house resting just behind the peak of the grassy dunes.

"What's that?"

"That belongs to a woman who hates my dogs. She's already killed two." His hand slipped from Min's.

"Killed your dogs? What a bitch." Min grumbled.

Kogotsu nodded, "Really. Sara is one grumpy old hag."

Min nodded with her bottom lip jutted out, "Fo' sho'." She felt her stomach drop, "W-Wait… Sara?!" Her head whipped left and right, "By the sea?!" Both of her hands slapped against her temples as Kogotsu watched her, bewildered. "OH FUCK! SARA!"

"Y-Yeah… I know." Kogotsu said, amused.

"N-No! You don't understand! I've been-... _We've_ been looking for her for weeks!" Her golden brown eyes looked up to the tiny, wooden house, "We've been looking…"

"We?" Kogotsu pondered.

Min ignored him. "I need to talk to her. She has the answer!"

"The answer?"

"For why I'm here. Where I'm supposed to go."

 **Don't forget to review! It really helps a lot, sometimes one sweet review is all we need to bust out another 5,000 word chapter. So let's take a a gander, will your review be that one?**


	7. Spears and Hounds

**This story is brought to you by HeartbrokenCandyHearts and KindredVeggies.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Samurai Champloo :(**

Hachiro's eyes slowly blinked open as the sun began its journey across the sky. His back slightly ached from sleeping in an upright position. A small beetle flew through his line of sight, its soft buzzing adding to the chorus of nature's wake up call. He stretched his stiff joints, rising from the unforgiving ground. Now that it was daytime he could continue his mission to find Min.

The thought of her sent a pang of regret through his chest. He looked down at his swords, and the pink tanto next to them. The beads on the tanto intrigued him the most, and he held the small blade up to his face to he could get a better look.

"I wonder what all of these mean." He mused out loud.

He pawed at the string of dice, chuckling to himself. "Min is such a cheapskate I really doubt she would be into gambling…"

The next bead that caught his attention was a small carving of a cat, its face was smiling. Something about the carving seemed odd though, Min wasn't really a cat person. If anything, she would have been born as an aggressive dog. Hachiro pondered the carving for a moment, thinking back on what Min had said about the tanto.

She hadn't spoken much about her past, only revealing that her mother passed away recently. He inspected the lacquer carefully. It was full of chips and dents, perhaps the tanto had been a gift from her mother. For some reason the pink shine didn't give him the impression it was a man's tanto.

Looking closer at the beads there were two more charms that stood out, one was a small white skull, and the other, a jet black bird preparing to take off. The crow's bead appeared to be hand carved as well, although it's craftsmanship certainly left much to be desired. It seemed oddly sentimental to Hachiro, as crows often represented evil.

The skull was also mildly off-putting. It seemed so morbid for a young girl to decorate her belongings with, but after all, she was _Min's_ mother. As he fumbled with the charms he saw a flash of something within the eyes of the skull. He pulled it close, peering into the charm.

Hachiro jumped back, almost dropping the blade. He clenched his hands around the casing, quickly debating in his head whether he should rip off the bead and bury it somewhere. Inside the skull stood a tiny cross. A symbol of christianity.

Right as he was about to yank off the cord, he hesitated. Min hadn't given him any implication that she was Christian, meaning the bead had to have come from someone else, and she had mentioned that her father was originally European. While he feared for their safety if the bead was ever discovered, knowing Min she would rip him apart for messing with her belongings. He decided to leave the skull, but thinking of Min's feisty spirit lit a fire in Hachiro's chest.

"I have to save her." He declared loudly to the trees. He shook his head, and ran a hand through his newly cropped hair. With a start he began to run through the forest, chasing the origin of the wind, and heading straight for the sea.

Hachiro ran for what seemed like miles, maintaining a constant pace that could be described as 'reckless'. He knew that he wouldn't be able to keep up the same speed for long, but he was fueled by adrenaline.

A loud snap made Hachiro whip around, swinging up his sheathed blade to cover his face.

A large blade bounced off of the sword, rearing back. A long pole was attached to the sharp metal, forming a spear, and attached to the handle was a older woman, her hair only beginning to gray.

Hachiro jumped back, "Who are you? And why have you been following me?"

The woman, stood her ground, keeping her spear raised. "This is my land, and you are trespassing."

Hachiro tensed for a moment, "I did not realize this land had been claimed, I apologize." He nodded his head, but refrained from fully bowing, as she had yet to lower her spear.

"Why are you here then?" The woman asked, still suspicious of Hachiro's motives.

He sighed, "I'm looking for a woman. Or a girl really, well, and also a woman. Two women."

The woman gazed at him unblinking. Her stare was piercing, but she had no response.

"The girl, her name is Min, have you seen her?" Hachiro continued.

Silence…

"No, only one other boy and I reside on this beach." She spoke, her voice level.

Hachiro's brow furrowed, "Only one other boy?"

"That's what I said."

"Then do you know about another woman, that goes by the name of Sara? That's the other woman we're searching for." Hachiro took a step forward, "She's blind, surely you'd remember her."

The woman stiffened, standing up straight. "I know of who you speak."

Hachiro grasped his swords in relief, "You do? Can you lead me to her?"

"No."

He blanched, "W-what?! Why not?"

She did not respond, instead jumping back into the woods, and out of Hachiro's sight.

"Wait!" He called after her, stumbling over the tree roots after her. The forest thinned, revealing the grassy dunes of the beach. In the distance he could see a shack, that's where the woman was headed.

His pace quickened, and he saw her round the corner and raced to follow.

"BWAaahhH!" A scream and a crash permeated the crashing of the waves. Followed by several dogs barking.

Hachiro slowed, jogging around the corner of the shack only to be tackled by a stranger.

He spluttered, spitting sand from his tongue. "W-what the hell?"

He kicked off his attacker, launching him across the sand.

"Kogotsu!" He heard a female voice call. The sound caused him to freeze, and he turned to face the shed, gaping at the scene.

"Min?!"

From inside the shack Min was dodging the woman's blows, toppling chairs and dishes as she leapt from corner to corner.

"Hachi?" Min paused, then she yelped, ducking with surprising speed as the strange woman's spear slashed through the air above her head, taking with it a few strands of Min's lighter hair. Her eyes widened and she pointed and let out a cackle, "LOOK AT YOUR HEAD, _BALDY_!" She cried out, tears in her eyes, hand over her stomach. She quickly snapped out of it when another swing of the spear grazed her side.

Behind Hachiro the boy known as Kogotsu stood among a pack of dogs. "Sara, stop this!"

Hachiro looked confused for a moment, "Wait...that's Sara?"

Min glared at him, "Apparently, _dumbass_! Will you help me and get her off my ass already!?"

Hachiro made no effort to move, staring at the woman. He was perplexed, "I thought Sara was supposed to be a blind woman. Master Jin never said anything about her being a warrior too." He put a finger to ohis chin, scratching his head.

Min screamed in exasperation. "I have to do everything around here!" Min leaped off a table, which was promptly cut in half by Sara's giant blade. Min spun in the air, sending a kick right into the handle of Sara's weapon. They stood locked together for what seemed like an eternity, Min quickly pushing off and back flipping away from the woman, "Man, you fight real tough for such an old hag. I mean, you look _rough_."

Kogotsu snorted, "Not that she would know."

Min looked back at him and let out a stupid giggle. Sara was not amused as she swung swiftly, startling Min, "Yo, yo! Just listen for a second, lady! You're blind, not deaf!"

Sara wouldn't stop, continuing to take slices at Min. Min slid under a table and kicked the top, sending it flying into Sara, knocking her over. Min flipped in the air, her heel coming down onto the weapon, snapping the handle in half. Sara stopped and sighed.

"Okay, I know you're insane, that's fine, but be insane once we leave, I need your help… Sara."

Sara begrudgingly accepted, setting aside the two halves of her table, and placing five cups in a circle on the floor. She pulled a boiling kettle of water that was heating over the wood powered stove and started to pour them a floral scented tea.

"Well, if you have something to say, just say it."

So, Min explained the whole situation, her mother, Jin, the man she was trying to find to give the letter to. With every word she spoke, the blind woman's demeanor slowly morphed. She sighed and nodded, "I will tell you some very important information." She stood and brushed herself off, "The man you seek is from the Ryukyu Islands, he goes by the name of Mugen."

Min's nose scrunched, "We have to go to _that_ shithole?" She grumbled, "and what kind of name is _Mugen_ anyway?" Hachiro stayed standing where he was, but rolled his eyes at Min.

"Shut. Up." The woman said gravely. Min's lips receded into her mouth. She mimed locking it with a key, making Kogotsu snicker behind her. Hachiro glared over at the stranger and rolled his eyes again, scoffing and crossing his arms.

"If you would let me finish… The man is _from_ Ryukyu, but he lives in a mountainous, seaside village called Sendai. Once in Sendai, you will have to travel deep into the mountains until you reach a field of flowers. You must cross the fields until you cannot walk any further, and there you will find him. He is a criminal, so you can never be too careful." Her sandals shuffled over the sandy floor until she stood in front of Min.

"You have a lot hate in your head and a lot of love in your heart, but your fighting style shows you have no control." Her dim eyes stared somewhere above Min, but Min felt like Sara was looking into her soul.

Min shrugged, "Ehh, whatever, lady."

"Don't let your hate take over when love is more appropriate. Calculate your movements more readily."

A sudden whoosh of air made Min's light eyes widen as she felt something poke into her side. Sara had somehow gotten hold of the remainder of her weapon and gently stuck the blunt side of the handle into Min's side. She looked down, then looked up, then down, then up, shocked. "It could be the death of you one day, that could've easily been my blade."

Min slapped the handle away and stood trembling, cheeks red. " _Bitch_!" She spat.

Hachiro shrugged, "She's right."

Min cast a burning glare in Hachiro's direction, making his mouth clamp shut.

"Hmph. You really remind me of someone I fought once." Sara said with a warm chuckle. "He was crazy, reckless, and had no regard for his surroundings. I'm sure you two will get along wonderfully when you make it… To meet him that is."

Min's expression softened, "You-... Fought him?"

Sara nodded, "I will give you some wisdom that helped him splendidly. It helped his companion, Jin, as well." Hachiro stiffened at the mention of his master, "Use the current around you to go with the flow. When fighting, feel the one who fights you, they are not all the same. When travelling, go where the journey takes you, sometimes if you follow the flow it will bring you on a journey like no other." She stood straight, "Like catching fish, you cannot be abrupt, things come with time and thought. You will reach your destination faster this way. Going along the flow, not causing trouble."

Min scrunched her nose and gave Hachiro a confused and bewildered look. Hachiro lifted his eyebrows and scolded her silently. Min pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Well. Thanks for the info, lady." Min gave a curt wave and walked out the door.

Hachiro gave a deep bow, "Yes! Thank you very much, my master, Jin, would be very glad to hear that we found you. I apologize for your tables, would you like us to replace them-." He was cut off by a chuckle, "Huh?" He stood up from his bow.

Sara shook her head, "And you maybe should take some pointers from your comrade and _relax_."

Hachiro felt rage in his stomach, "Right. Thanks." He gave a stiff bow and left the shack. He stumbled down the dunes to where Min stood with her arms crossed. "Min!"

"Thanks for the help back there, you slug." She grumbled.

Hachiro felt the urge he had to hug her quickly fade, "Wow. Missed you too, _pig_."

Min's eyebrow twitched, "What happened to all your hair, you look like a fuzzy egg." She said, stifling laughter.

Hachiro breathed in deep, anger making his cheeks flush. "Whatever, bushy brows."

"Prude!"

"Greaseball!"

"Shit-stain!"

"Gah- bahhhh, asshole!"

"Hah! Good one, _baka_." Min snorted.

Kogotsu awkwardly stood behind the two, his dogs whimpering. "U-Uhh, guys?"

The two stopped and looked back, "Oh! My bad! This is Kogotsu! He took me in and _helped me out_ unlike some people." Min sneered.

Hachiro scoffed and walked past Min, who stuck her tongue out at him. He sighed and bowed slightly to Kogotsu, "Thank you for taking care of _that_." Hachiro nodded in Min's general direction. His face changed to a kind smile, "I'm Ryuu Hachiro, eighth son of the Ryuu clan."

Kogotsu smiled awkwardly and scratched his freckled cheek, "O-Oh. He gave an uncomfortable bow and chuckled, "No need to be formal, Hachiro. I'm Kogotsu," He looked around him, "and these are my dogs."

His eyes flicked up to meet Min's, "And finding Min was probably one of the better things to happen to me recently." He pulled his eyes away bashfully and gave a small laugh, "S-So, yeah, so don't apologize. She's great."

Hachiro's face twisted into one of absolute disgust. "That's… Good." He looked back where Min looked at him smugly.

"I'm great." She teased.

"You're repulsive." Hachiro snapped.

"Ohhh my god!" Min put a dramatic hand over her heart, "That hurt!"

Kogotsu watched, amused. "Well… Would you care to stay the night, Hachiro?"

Hachiro looked to where the sun cast an orange glow over the waters lazily crashing onto the shore, "I suppose…"

"Wonderful!" He chimed, "The more the merrier!"

"Not in your tiny shack." Min jabbed with a little nudge to Kogotsu's side. He smiled down at her and chuckled. The three walked back to where the tiny house stood independent in the sand.

Hachiro watched Min and Kogotsu, noticing their small touches, Min's more gentle demeanor.

 _Why's this guy so special?_

He thought to himself. He shook his head and rubbed his hand over his stubbly head.

 _Not that I give a shit. But… Then again… Life would be a lot easier if she looked at me like that…_

He felt his gaze locked on the two of them. Their happy gazes into each other's eyes.

 _Gross. Just look at them. I don't want that. They both look dirty. Once I get back, I'll find a dignified girl. Yup._

He felt his heart jumping as Min grazed her fingers over Kogotsu's,

 _Yup. Yup. This is fine._

Once they finally made it back, Kogotsu began to fry up some fish along with steaming some rice. They all sat in the shared kitchen-living room-bedroom combo eating fish over rice. Min ate hers in maybe four seconds, _maybe_. Kogotsu chuckled, "Impressive." He took her bowl without asking and refilled it.

They all ate in comfortable silence until Hachiro spoke, "So, we leave tomorrow, correct?"

Kogotsu's eyes widened, "Tomorrow?" He asked timidly.

Min frowned, "Yeah."

Hachiro was taken aback, was Min… sad? He had never seen her guard down like that. She quickly changed her mood and finished inhaling her food.

"How will you take care of all those mutts alone?!"

Kogotsu raised an eyebrow, "Min, you've been here for like… a day and you haven't helped with the dogs at all!"

Min laughed, so did Kogotsu. She shrugged, "What. Ever."

Hachiro's eyes narrowed, "Where shall I sleep?"

"The floor." Min stuck out her tongue.

Hachiro cast a pleading gaze to the kind Kogotsu. Kogotsu shrugged, "Actually… Yeah, I have some extra mats! They're in that closet."

Min stood up and stretched, "Ugh, I need to walk this food off!" She made her way out the door.

Kogotsu stood and stammered, "C-Can I come?"

Min nodded happily. "Would you like to join, Hachiro?"

Hachiro shook his head.

"Your loss, Hachi-bo." Min teased. Hachiro sighed and ignored her. Min stuck out her tongue again as she left.

Hachiro slid the tiny, rickety door and grabbed a dusty mat. He spread it out and laid on his back. He jumped as he felt something warm lay next to him. He looked down at a small mutt that nuzzled against him, he sighed. He did like dogs…

Min walked in the dim, orange light with Kogotsu, the light making his look like glowing amber. The two were quiet for a while, surrounded by the crisp, misty air. The water was frigid, the sand soft, their hands warm in each other's. Min felt Kogotsu suddenly tug on her arm, she made a small noise in question.

"Min… Why do you have to leave so soon? Who is that guy?"

Min pursed her lips in disdain, "I have somewhere I have to go, he's helping me get there." She gave a nonchalant shrug, "But I could've totally done all of this on my own!"

Kogotsu smiled gently, taking her other hand in his, "I bet. You're really strong."

"Y-Yeah?" She said, a blush creeping up her neck to her face.

"Yeah."

Min looked up, startled by how close their faces had gotten, but didn't move. She slowly leaned into him, their lips gently caressing one another until Kogotsu pressed into her. Their lips locked and Min felt her body exploding with energy.. Her outside remained calm, her eyes gently closing and her hands snaking up to wrap around Kogotsu's strong shoulders. He smelled of sea salt and firewood.

They pulled away from one another slowly, Min looked up and felt her heart drop. Tears welled up in Kogotsu's eyes, catching the golden light from the sunset. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

The two sat next to each other until the sun went down, Min explaining her whole story to him. Telling him everything, from the European she fought, to the little kid she found in the woods, to getting trapped in the brothel. She told him _everything_. The two of them over time found each other's lips again. Their teeth clicked together, their noses bumped. It was not glorious, it was not beautiful, but it was exactly was Min needed. It was full of tenderness.

Once their hearts (and hormones) calmed down, they laid in the sand. Min's head rested on Kogotsu's chest, listening carefully to his heartbeat.

"Yo, Kogotsu. Before I leave you have to promise me something."

Kogotsu looked down at her and nestled his nose into the top of her head, "What's that?"

Min felt the vibrations of his voice. She smiled, "Leave this place. Go somewhere you and your dogs can live happily. Don't be afraid of change. Don't be afraid to take a chance at a better life."

Kogotsu sat up, pulling Min with him. He looked down at her, fondness in his eyes that no one had ever directed towards her before. She felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Okay, you've been through enough that I know... I know I can trust you." He kissed her forehead, "I'll leave this place." He pulled her into his chest and rested his chin on top of her head, "And one day I hope we can meet again, dummy."

Min felt her stomach flipping. She nodded, "Maybe one day," she whispered.

The next morning, Min and Hachiro woke to the sounds of countless sets of claws against the wooden floor. Min groaned and Hachiro rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"Wha?" He grumbled.

Min's eyes lit up, "Kogotsu!" She exclaimed. Kogotsu held a large rucksack with his few belonging in.

"Well… Shall we get ready to leave?" He asked happily.

Hachiro felt a fiery explosion of fury rise into his throat making him choke up, "We?" He hissed at Min.

Min innocently shrugged.

The three began to walk away from the beach until the were once again in the woods. Min could _feel_ Hachiro radiating anger. She grinned smugly. Hachiro glared holes into the back of Kogotsu.

 _Stupid smelly dog_.

Slowly, a crossroads came into sight, one road going south, and one north. They all stopped and Min looked up to Kogotsu, "I wish you lots of success, Min." Kogotsu said, with a bright smile that didn't quite reach his grey eyes.

Min nodded, "Heh. Y-Yeah, you too. Sorry, I'm not good at goodbyes-." Min was cut off by a brash kiss that locked to her lips. They separated and Min was pulled into a tight hug before Kogotsu stood up straight, face red. "Wha- uhhh. Well. Bye."

Hachiro stood, frozen, jaw dropped, mouth gaping.

Kogotsu looked at him and nodded warmly, "Nice meeting you Ryuu Hachiro." He said with a wink. "Don't let Min get too wild without me."

Hachiro was speechless. He closed his mouth and nodded, cheeks pink.

Kogotsu walked away, his dogs in tow, he turned around one last time. In the morning light, Min could barely make out his features as he mouthed the words, "Thank you."

She waved, looking just as shocked as Hachiro. She peered at him sideways and cleared her throat.

"W-Well?! What are you staring at?! L-Let's go, we don't have all day!" Min quickly paced ahead, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Letting out a small sigh, Hachiro quietly followed. At least now, things should get back to normal.

 **Don't forget to review! It really helps a lot, sometimes one sweet review is all we need to bust out another 5,000 word chapter. So let's take a a gander, will your review be that one?**


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